A Home in the Hills: A Kalvassa Mythos Story (Formerly the "Classified" AU) [Chapter 9 1/10/26]

[Brutal_Ink]

It's been quite a while since I've written anything, and that's because I've been very busy, both with work and with this. Classified: A New Life, and Classified: Stellar Remnants were my proofs-of-concept for the idea that became this universe, so there will be a lot of familiar elements. However, after refining my worldbuilding, I've ended up with a lot more than I originally planned for, although it still takes place in an alternate/parallel universe. The worldbuilding document is almost 300 pages long, and includes everything from a creation myth and a religion with various sects and interpretations, to an explanation of medicines, disorders, law, and technology. The scope has expanded considerably, so there is a lot of room to play in the sandbox if anyone happens to be interested. I left many things deliberately ambiguous in the original works, both because I wanted to allow for creative freedom, and because I personally hadn't refined my ideas enough to avoid contradicting myself by accident. This is something I hope to be able to publish at some point in the future, but I must say that if you're looking for sexual elements, this probably isn't for you as I don't particularly enjoy writing about that sort of thing. Chrysalis in particular has changed a lot, and I hope you all enjoy the new changes. Things will be explained as we go along organically to the best of my ability. This is a rough draft, and I haven't finished writing it yet, but I'm reasonably far along. I hope you enjoy the story!
 

EMRD (Energy Management/Regulation Disorder):  Excessive worry and physiological anxiety responses; can also refer to metabolic energy regulation issues (context-dependent)

 

Smartband: The universal communication and monitoring device worn by most people. It can be modified specifically for Littles

____________________________________

Maya Weston paws blindly at her left wrist, successfully silencing her alarm on the third try. She lets out a heavy sigh and forces herself out of bed, blearily scrolling on her Smartband to check the timetables for the autobus.

The soft blue text displays: On-Time.
 
  Thank Esvyra for small mercies. Maya thinks, pulling on a well-loved sweater and her least-worn pair of jeans. It’s not business-casual, but it’s all she’s got. She heads to the bathroom to brush her teeth and does her best to make herself look presentable and professional. She thumbs on her aging holoscreen for background noise. Stat, her Smartband’s onboard AI recites the weather forecast. Maya is unsurprised at the varying forecast, given Southgate’s proximity to the mountains. Her thick brown hair is uncooperative as it usually is in the morning and she opts for a ponytail rather than taking the time to brush it out. Her next stop is the fridge, where finds a lone nutribar and the rest of last night’s vegetable wrap.

Maya takes the nutribar and puts the wrap into her bag to have for lunch at work, planning to stop on the way home for some cheap noodles or some—ugh—a mystery wrap from the vendor if she’s desperate enough. This isn’t the life she would have imagined for herself, but after growing up as a Lightbearer...even this, even though it’s less-than-perfect, is better than living like that.
 
  For once, she’s grateful that she doesn’t have a smart-fridge—a smart anything really, other than her band—because at least then it can’t nag her to spend Coin she doesn’t have on food she can’t afford. She wolfs down the nutribar and washes down her EMRD medication with a swig of water before brushing her teeth and heading for the door.

Maya checks her account as she locks up, seeing the notification on her Smartband tick over from Rent Due: 3 days remaining to Rent Due: 2 days remaining and, as if by some cruel irony, there’s still no paycheck. Her internship at BioHealth is the best job she’s ever had—or it would be, if they’d bothered to actually pay her like her contract had stated. At first, she’d thought that maybe it was just a clerical error, but her repeated attempts to reach HR to find out what’s been going on have been stymied. She’d tried submitting tickets, escalating those tickets, and even trying to schedule a meeting with HR in-person, but she hasn’t had any luck so far. She sighs and heads for the stairs, hoping no one creepy is at the autobus stop this morning.

She barely notices the broken cleaning drone anymore as she passes by, it’s been at the end of the hallway, covered in dust and lilting in its charging cradle since she moved in. The security system doesn’t work, the building is falling apart, and in this neighborhood, expecting the police to do anything is a chanceroller at best. At the very least, her job at least gets her out of her tiny apartment.

 

Anticipatory anxiety ties her stomach in an uncomfortable knot as she waits in the chilly morning air, the deserted autobus terminal lit only by the glow of the arrival and departure displays and a lone sodium streetlight. A discarded paper cup from some fast-food place tumbles along the sidewalk, fetching up against the overflowing and graffiti’d trash can. Maya breathes a sigh of relief the autobus rolls to a gentle stop in front of her, kneeling with a hiss of compressed air and emitting a pleasant:

  “Welcome aboard, please watch your step. Thank you for choosing Breezeway autobus services. Most anywhere, we’ll get you there.”

Maya smiles softly, the little jingle they play has always been catchy. She holds her ID up to the reader and selects her destination, the fare automatically being deducted from her account’s already-meager funds. The air on the autobus is pleasant and refreshing, it smells faintly of leather and some kind of citrus-scented cleaning agent. It’s a nice change from the stale air that permeates the hallways of her apartment building. The buildings outside the window get progressively nicer as the autobus heads closer to downtown, the beating heart of Southgate’s financial and industrial districts. Bars and anti-theft mesh melt away into pristine glass windows, graffiti-free brick facades, and clean sidewalks. Clean, energy-efficient streetlamps light the autobus’ path, a welcome shift from the dull glow of the sodium lights in Northview.

The BioHealth headquarters stands tall among the surrounding buildings, its polished glass exterior reflecting the early morning sun in a scintillating shade of vermillion. The fountain out front is intricate and impressive, with a beautiful urn sculpture in the center, depticting Esvyra tending Her garden. It’s something Maya has always found soothing and she’s glad the campus looks quiet this morning as the autobus pulls into the terminal across the street from the building.

Maya exits the autobus, checking her Smartband for the time and she is pleased to see that she’s arrived twenty minutes early. Hopefully that will give her enough time to sort out the payroll issue before she’s due to start her shift in the Research and Development lab. BioHealth makes a variety of products for all Classifications, mostly medical supplies although Maya’s current project is a prototype from a client looking to start a line of premium diapers and clothes for Littles. Maya herself has always had very specific preferences about texture for her clothing, so it’s nice to be able to channel that into something meaningful.
  The lobby of BioHealth is enormous and refined, with an enormous wall fountain along the entire right side of the lobby. The golden plating behind the flowing water is inlaid with a beautifully intricate vine design, and the water circulates into planters that hold gorgeous red roses. The massive windows above the entrance are designed to let in natural light, making the lobby a beautiful and inviting place to be.

  Blinking, Maya turns her focus to the left side of the lobby, where the HR office is located. It’s dark right now, as they don’t normally come in until 09:00, but she heads over to the terminal anyway to check the status of her ticket about her pay. She swipes her badge to log in to the interface and frowns.

  Access denied. User credentials expired. Please contact your system administrator for reset.

  Maya swipes her badge again, her heart pounding. What did I do? I’ve never been late or reprimanded, or anything. Did they...did they fire me without notice? I didn’t do anything wrong...Her stomach churns, her Smartband feels like it weighs a ton as the memory of the notice from this morning plays again in her mind. Rent Due: 2 days remaining.

Access Denied. User credentials expired. Please contact your system administrator for reset.

Oh no...Maya takes a shaky breath, trying to both calm her racing heart and also not throw up on the nice lobby floor.
  “S-Simon? Are you there?” Maya says quietly, pressing the “help” button in the corner to summon the AI that handles HR requests when HR isn’t available.

“Good morning, miss Weston. How may I help you?” The AI responds in a friendly voice, as a holographic display fades in behind the reception desk to display the AI’s avatar.

  “I’m locked out. Have—” Maya swallows hard, barely able to think the words, let alone to say them aloud. “have I been, um, terminated?”

“Negative. Your credentials are expired, but your employment status is active with no pending disciplinary actions or performance reviews.” Simon replies helpfully.

Maya braces herself against the reception desk to avoid collapsing when her knees threaten to give out from sheer relief. “Oh, good!” she gushes. “Um, can you fix my logins so I can see what tasks I have for the day? And has there been any response to my payroll request?”

“Negative. I do not have access to those systems. My capabilities are limited to scheduling appointments and drafting emails or submitting tickets. My apologies. And I’m sorry to inform you that there has not been any response to your request.” Simon answers, helpful as always.

“Is...Is Director Saphrin available? It’s really urgent.” Maya wonders, feeling a bit lightheaded at approaching Director Saphrin about, well, anything, but especially something that should technically be fixable without her help is more than a little daunting. But being homeless is considerably scarier...

“She has a meeting that should be over shortly, but I’ve given you a temporary visitor’s pass so you may use the elevator to attempt to speak with her.”

“Thank you, Simon.” Maya replies gratefully.

“You’re most welcome. Goodbye for now!” Simon responds, and the avatar fades away as the AI...well...goes to do whatever it is that AIs do in their free time.

Maya smooths her shirt and jeans as she steps into the elevator and presses the button for the executive suites. She forces herself to take deep breaths as her Smartband vibrates: elevated heart rate; elevated blood pressure

“Thanks, Stat,” Maya grumbles.

The elevator doors open to a reception area that seems almost...homey. The floor is carpeted by a plush material, and there’s a fish tank set into a smaller version of the vine fountain from downstairs in front of her. To her right is a desk, where a man in an immaculate suit with slicked back hair. A short black beard, dark skin, and a shaved head. His brown eyes are warm, but intense.

“Good morning, Maya, what brings you up today?” he asks pleasantly.

Maya blinks. “You know my name?”

 

  The man smiles. “Of course, Director Saphrin speaks very highly of your work. I’m Nick Farrel, but you can call me Nick.”

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Farrel,” Maya says with a strained kind of cheerfulness. “Um, to answer your question, I, uh, I’m locked out of the system. Simon says he can’t perform a reset, and HR doesn’t get in until 9...and there’s an issue with payroll that hasn’t been resolved in three weeks, and rent is due in two days and—” Maya stops herself, taking a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m rambling.”

Nick’s eyebrows draw together. “Three weeks? Have you not been paid at all in that time?”

Maya shakes her head. “No, Mr. Farrel. I tried submitting tickets and setting appointments, but I haven’t gotten any responses...I was planning to check that this morning, but I can’t login to the system.” she explains.

  “I’m sure the Director will be more than happy to help you out. It sounds like several people are neglecting their duties. She should be wrapping up shortly, but I’ve sent her a message to let her know you’re waiting out here.” Nick gestures to a nearby sofa next to an oko machine. “We’ve got roasted oko and sweet oko if that’s more to your taste. It even makes whips and combiccinos.”

Maya settles onto the couch to wait—it’s comfier than her bed—and folds her hands patiently in her lap. She makes herself a small cup of sweet oko, as the roasted kind has always been far too bitter for her taste. It’s rich and indulgent, and it fills her with a pleasant warmth as it settles in her stomach. No sooner has she finished her drink and disposed of the used cup than Director Saphrin’s door slides open.

Director Saphrin is dressed in a deep blue pantsuit with a crisply-ironed white shirt beneath it and tasteful black shoes. She’s not one to wear much jewelry as far as Maya can tell from the few times she’s seen the woman around the building, and today is no different. Her jet black hair is pinned up in a tasteful bun, and the only jewelry she wears is her Smartband and a pair of diamond stud earrings. Her perfume drifts over, a gentle mix of mint and vanilla.

  “Good morning, Nick.” She says softly before turning her attention to Maya, her brown eyes attentive. “Good morning, Maya. Nick said you needed my help with something, would you like to step into my office for a bit so we can talk?” her voice is firm, but calm, with a softness that Maya has never known it to have.

“Yes ma’am.” Maya answers, standing. “Thank you for the oko,” she says to Nick, who simply smiles.

“Sure thing.”

The Director’s office is luxurious, but not opulent, with a few live plants and a small wall fountain opposite the corner where the windows meet, overlooking the city. It’s tasteful but not gaudy, and the desk and chairs look comfortable, but not obscenely expensive. Still, the genuine hearthwood desk probably costs more per ounce than Maya makes in a month, she reflects...

“Have a seat,” The Director says, settling easily into her own chair across the desk from Maya and waving away the holo-display. “What can I do for you?”

“I, um, I’ve been locked out of the system, ma’am. I asked Simon for help downstairs, but he said he doesn’t have the ability to reset my credentials. He also said that I haven’t been flagged for any discipline or reviews.”

  “That’s...very strange. There’s no reason the system should have locked you out of anything, especially with no flags. That would have had to have been done manually. And please, when it’s just us, call me Meekah. Being called ‘ma’am’ makes me feel old.” Meekah says, smiling gently. “I can fix that right now, but I’ll be having a word with HR about this. Is there anything else you need?”

“Well, I don’t mean to be a bother or anything, but I’ve tried talking to HR and I think they’re avoiding me...all the tickets I’ve submitted or appointments I’ve tried to make just get marked ‘resolved’ or canceled. My internship was supposed to be a paid position, but...I haven’t actually been paid at all yet. It’s been three weeks since I’ve started, and rent is due in two days and I know I’m not dressed appropriately for work but I promise I’ll—”

“Maya.” Meekah says, her voice calm but firm. “Take a breath.” She waits patiently.

Maya does, breathing out slowly and evenly, and then does it again.

“Good. I’m really not concerned about your attire right now. Your clothes are clean and presentable and that’s good enough for the moment. What I am concerned about is the fact that you haven’t been paid. That’s absolutely inexcusable and there’s no reason whatsoever for that to have happened. I will be having a meeting with HR as soon as they arrive and you will have your back-pay before you leave to go home today.” Meekah taps a few things on her display and there’s a low hum, a click, and then Meekah is handing Maya a black and gold card.

“Thank you so much for your help ma’am. I was so worried...” Maya gushes, feeling genuine relief for the first time that she can recall in recent memory. “What’s this?”

Meekah smiles gently. “You don’t have to thank me, Maya. You’re entitled to your pay, that’s literally in the the contract you and my company signed, and I’m sorry that hasn’t been honored. There’s 5,000 Coin on that chip, separate from your pay from HR. Please consider it a bonus for all this inconvenience and use it for anything you need.”

5,000 Coin?!

It’s more money than Maya has every seen in one place before, and Meekah’s just...handed it to her like it’s nothing. “This is too much! I can’t t take all of this...” Maya’s eyes well with tears; she’s completely overwhelmed by Meekah’s generosity.

 

“You can. As a matter of fact, I insist that you do.” Meekah pauses to hand Maya a tissue.

 

Maya blots at her face. “I’m sorry I’m such a mess. No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”

 

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, Maya. You were put in a terrible position as a direct result of my employees incompetence, at best and deliberate malice at worst. No one should have to deal with being treated that way. Please, just let me help, to put my own mind at ease if not for yourself. You’re an incredible employee, Maya. You’re an asset to the company, and I don’t want you to feel like you’re not appreciated or valued. It’s been a privilege to be able to watch you develop, and I hope you’ll be able to look past this incident and continue working for us. I’d like to offer you a formal position as a Product Design Specialist. This situation should have never happened in the first place.”

  “I...I accept.” Maya says, barely able to speak past the lump in her throat. “Thank you, ma’am.” Maya says, her cheeks warming. “It’s alright, mistakes happen.”

 

“It’s not alright, Maya. I’m impressed by your willingness to forgive, but personally I’m not willing to let something like this slide for any of my employees, least of all someone who does some of the best work at this company. And I promise I’ll make it right for you.” Meekah says earnestly.

 

Maya doesn’t know what to say, so she just nods. “Thank you...so much.” she says finally.

 

“I’ve reset your credentials, you’ll have to make a new password, but you shouldn’t have any more issues and I’ve locked your files so any changes to status will have to be approved by me first. You don’t need to worry about that ever happening again. And you’ll get an official offer letter to sign in your employee portal later, your new position comes with a substantial raise and profit sharing as well. In the meantime,” Meekah checks her Smartband. “I have a meeting to schedule with HR, and I believe you have some things to do as well. You can message me on the portal whenever you need something, but for now, I need to get this meeting set up.”

 

Maya nods. “Of course, I understand. And thank you...for everything.” She says as she turns to leave, feeling something dangerously like hope building in her chest. Maybe for once, things will turn out okay.

 

***

Or not.

Maya’s absorbed in her work—Jenkins is a wizard with blends, but not proportions and the mix of synthetic to natural fabric is way too...wrong. It’s scratchy, but in a sticks-to-your-fingers-and-is-really-uncomfortable sort of way, not scratchy like rough, or even necessarily itchy either. She frowns and highlights the areas that need adjusting.

There needs to be more room in the butt area, if the wearer has a thick diaper on or is wearing lots of layers, it’ll be stiff and too squeezy...Maya makes a face, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the idea of that sensation, even though she doesn’t wear diapers, clothes that are too tight feel kind of...suffocating. The straps of the overalls are also slightly too short, which would also make it the wrong kind of snug—comfy clothes should feel like being hugged, not squeezed so tightly you can’t breathe....And the elastic bands in the built-in diaper cover shouldn’t be that close together, it’ll be pinchy on the wearers thighs in an area that’s already really sensitive...Maybe we could just scrap that entirely? No need to make the Caregiver’s job any harder for changes, and it’s already got the mag-snaps, so everything’s discreet without the elastic...
 
  Maya frowns thoughtfully, making more annotations and manipulating the holographic model, and recommending a blend of extra-spun fleece and down for the inside. She pauses to go back and edit her notes to be more professional-sounding before sending them back to Jenkins for review.

Personally, she doesn’t understand what’s wrong with using ‘pinchy’ or ‘squeezy’ to describe something, since that’s how it actually feels, but after more than one of the other design specialists have commented that her notes ‘sounded like something their kid sister would say’, maybe it’s better to jazz it up a bit. Why sounding like that is bad when it’s just notes, Maya can’t fathom, but being made fun of is kind of miserable if she’s being honest. Maya’s just finished her notes when her tablet chimes loudly, causing her to flinch.
 
  Thorns! I really need to change the alert tone... Maya thinks, before picking up the tablet and reading her messages. It’s Meekah, requesting her to come to the conference room for a meeting. She swallows hard, gathering her courage, and heads for the elevator.
 
  Maya’s heart drops into her stomach as she approaches the door to the conference room, Meekah sounds really upset...

“Do not lecture me on procedure, Janit. Who do you think wrote the policy in the first place?” Meekah’s voice has a cold, venomous edge to it and it makes Maya hesitate before she pushes open the door.

Meekah looks at her, eyes softening for a moment as she uses them to indicate Maya should sit next to her.

Maya does, already feeling tense and nauseous. She can’t even bring herself to make eye contact with Janit, but she can feel the anger rolling off the woman in waves. The woman is dressed professionally, with too-much lipstick and her nails painted an awful, garish shade of red. Her earrings are too big and the wrong color to complement her fake tan, and her green eyes are cold as Maya inevitably looks at her.

Maya sits down, trembling.

“Thank you for joining us, Maya.” Meekah says.

“I meant no offense. I was simply stating that when people don’t follow the proper procedure, it makes it very difficult to accomplish necessary tasks. Perhaps she just forgot?”

“Excuse me? I had IT pull the logs Janit, don’t you dare—” And that’s all Maya hears of Meekah’s sentence before the ringing in her ears drowns the rest of it out.

 

Maya is five years old again, tears dripping off her chin as the side of her face flares with pain, stinging and smarting from the slap she’s just received.

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Maya!” Her mother shouts.
  Another slap.

Maya whimpers.

“And stop your crying! You just want me to feel bad for you so you can get out of trouble. Keep it up, and I’ll give you something to cry about! You know Esvyra wouldn’t like you getting involved in such selfish things. And now you’ve made her sad, and the other Lightbearer kids in your class saw too! Do you want the congregation to think you’re ‘corrupting association’? What about your father? Do you want him to have to stop being a Tender because you can’t be a good girl?”

“No...” Maya says pitifully.

“And you had an accident on top of it all! In first grade and still peeing your pants, unbelievable!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...” Maya says honestly.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Her mother replies. “Go take a bath and change your clothes. We’re having dinner soon. And you’d better pray and tell the Gods you’re sorry or they won’t want to be your friends anymore because you hurt their feelings by being bad. I love you, but you need to think about how things look to other people, and what the Gods want you to do.”

  “Okay...I love you too...” Maya turns heads to the stairs, looking back only once. I didn’t even want the cake that much...she thinks...I just didn’t want to be left out. I don’t like being made fun of ‘cause I’m different...

“Hurry up please, Maya. I want us to all eat together.”

Maya flinches, instinctively expecting another slap, even though her mother is across the room.

“And don’t flinch like that. I’m not going to hurt you.” her mother says, like she’s being silly at a bad time.

“Sorry. I’m going.” Maya says, and begins climbing the stairs, feeling confused, alone, and ashamed.

 

“—unacceptable. I will not have my employees victimized by your lack of attention to your responsibilities, be it through negligence, incompetence, or malice. Let me be absolutely crystal clear, Janit. IT and myself will be reviewing all employee records from the last six months to ensure accuracy of payroll and benefits. Your access to employee files has been revoked, except for what you need to do your job. Until the audit is complete, all changes to payroll and employee credentials go through me, and me alone. If it is discovered that you or anyone else under your supervision purposefully altered credentials or withheld pay, this entire department will be restructured, and responsible parties will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

  Maya blinks, hoping her spacing out hasn’t been too obvious and trying to discreetly scrub at her eyes, her face damp. Meekah’s foot gently nudges against hers, grounding Maya in the present.

“I understand.” Janit says, tight-lipped, glaring at Maya.

“I shouldn’t have to remind someone in your position of this, but I expect that Maya will receive an appropriately contrite, sincere, and professional apology. And I’ll need your admin chip until the investigation is concluded.” Meekah says, and the grim set of her jaw is equal parts unyielding and predatory, like a lion cornering a wounded animal.

Maya looks at the table, losing herself in the swirling patterns of the wood grains and wishing to be literally anywhere else. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I’m sure it was just a mistake—” she says, almost automatically, not looking up at either of the women in the room.

“I understand that, Maya, and I appreciate you trying to be a team player and give the benefit of the doubt. I however, am not convinced this wasn’t done deliberately, so the investigation will proceed as planned. You come to work and do your job to the best of your ability every day, and it is only fair to hold others to the same standard. A mistake has been made that could easily have been avoided, and it’s important that we make sure that no one else has been dealing with similar issues. We all come to work to get paid, so I need to make sure that’s happening as it should.” Meekah says, her voice firm, but without the venomous edge. When she speaks again, it’s back. “Janit. Your chip.”

Janit all but slams the small card on the table.  She looks at Maya in a way that reminds Maya of her mother when she says: “My sincerest apologies for any inconvenience you may have been caused. It won’t happen again, Maya.”

You don’t sound sorry...Maya thinks, feeling almost like she’s just been told to jump off a cliff instead of apologized to. She feels cold and looks back at Meekah, and then at the table.

Meekah’s brows draw together, but she doesn’t comment on it other than to say: “That will be all. Nick will be in touch with next steps. You’re dismissed.”

Janit stalks out of the room, staring Maya down the whole way, her green eyes cold and piercing.  

“Are you okay?” Meekah asks, once the door slides closed again.

Maya’s eyes well with tears again. She feels drained and too hot and this is all her fault and—

“Maya, honey—”

“Don’t!” Maya says, in a voice that sounds like someone else’s, bitter and angry and sharp. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so upset. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I’m sorry. I know you were just trying to be nice to me.” Maya says, more to the table than to Meekah.

“You have nothing to be sorry for, Maya. Nothing, do you understand me? None of this is your fault, and I’m not upset with you at all. This was clearly very difficult for you and you did very well. You should be proud of yourself.” Meekah’s voice reminds Maya of herself when she’s trying not to cry.

“Kind of? I don’t know. I don’t feel very good.” Maya admits, finally looking at Meekah, seeing a gaze that’s just a bit too shiny for just a moment before Meekah’s normal expression is back.

“It’s okay to not know. Do you want to go home for the day? With pay, of course. I can tell this was a lot for you.”

“I...I don’t want to go home...” Maya says, because that would mean being alone with her thoughts.

“Okay. Why don’t you take a few minutes for yourself, okay? And if you change your mind about going home later it’s not a problem, just let me know. You did a good job, Maya. Really. I have to get to my next meeting, but you know how to reach me if you need anything.” Meekah says gently, lingering for a moment before leaving Maya alone with her thoughts.

Maya collects herself for a few minutes, getting up only when she’s sure she isn’t going to be sick all over the super-expensive-looking carpet. She almost runs straight into Sydney on her way back to the lab, only half paying attention to where she’s going.

“Oh, hey...Maya?” her friend's voice is full of concern, and she’s taking Maya by the shoulders and and guiding her into a side hallway. “Sweetie? What’s wrong? You look awful! What happened?”

“I’m okay...I’m fine...I’m okay...” Maya replies, her cheeks wet before she can even really register that she’s crying, tears dripping off her chin in big, fat drops. She wants to throw up, her entire body shaking with the force of her sobs.

Warm arms wrap around her, a gentle hand rubs her back while another gently presses her head into Sydney’s chest.

“Oh, sweetheart...it’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe. I’m right here, okay? I’m not going anywhere.” Sydney’s voice is thick with emotion.

Maya clings to Sydney, trembling, afraid of falling apart without her. Sydney is warm and safe and she smells like spice and clean laundry.

“Shh...” Sydney whispers, swaying them gently.

Maya can’t remember the last time anyone hugged her like this. She can’t remember the last time she was hugged at all.

[Brutal_Ink]

Chapter 2

“She’s right you know.” Sydney says. “Totally not on you that any of that happened. Janit put herself in that position and she deserved what she got.”

“But—” Maya begins to protest.

“No ‘buts’ kiddo. Except yours, sitting in that chair and actually eating something for once. A nutribar is part, part of a balanced breakfast, not the entire thing. And don’t give me that pout, you know I’m right.” Sydney says. “And between you and me, that withered, hollow, shallow-rooted, stem-broken bitch, deserves a lot worse than that.”

Maya’s mouth drops open. “Sydney!”

“What? It’s true! And I know all 17 of the words you’re not allowed to say on-broadcast.” Sydney answers with proud, cheeky grin.

“Okay, but like, was the Caregiver-joke really necessary? That’s...that was just...awful.”

“There she is!” Sydney smiles warmly.

“So dumb...” Maya groans, putting her head into her hands.

Sydney laughs. “Um, don’t look now but you’ve got orfsauce in your hair...”

“Great.” Maya mutters sarcastically, but she’s smiling.

The two of them eat their lunch, making small-talk and talking about their plans for the weekend. It pulls Maya out of her funk, not least of which because she’s jealous that Sydney is going to see Moondiver perform live at the Starbank Stadium—and she’s got pit seats, right next to the stage.

“Lucky!” Maya says. “You’ll have to tell me all about it!”

“Or, you could just look at my Quickchat, you know, like a normal person...”

Maya grins. “Or that. That works too.” she checks her Smartband. “I should be getting back to work though, there’s a lot I need to get done. Thanks for having lunch with me!”

Sydney reaches out and gently grabs Maya’s arm. “Not so fast, I wasn’t kidding about the sauce.” Sydney says, producing a wet wipe from her purse and cleaning Maya’s face.

“Bleh!” Maya says, having opened her mouth to protest at exactly the wrong moment. It tastes like soap, but worse somehow. “Was that really necessary? I’m not a Little, you know, I can clean my own face. Why do you even have those?”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Says the girl with sauce in her hair...” Sydney says, obviously completely unconvinced. “I’m just teasing. And I have them because they’re useful, especially for those times when you get something on your hands or your shirt and can’t go to wash it off right away.” Sydney explains. “I probably won’t see you for the rest of the day, but let me know if you want to hang out after work on Landsi, the concert isn’t until Resus evening at like 24:00ish.”

“Sydney, don’t be a butt.” Maya says, pouting good-naturedly as she gathers her things. “That sounds good, I don’t think I have anything, but I’ll let you know later in the week just in case. See you later!”

“Be good! And don’t let this place get under your skin too much, you’re awesome and the boss knows it. Don’t give the jerks the satisfaction of winding you up.”

“I’m always good!” Maya says, sticking out her tongue. “I’ll do my best Syd. See you!” Maya waves as she heads out of the cafeteria and back to her workstation.
 

***

 

Maya’s eyes hurt. And her back. And her shoulders. And her neck.

She sighs. She’d meant to wrap up a while ago, but after what Meekah’s done for her today, she owes her a little extra effort at least...

Jenkins has somehow managed to completely flub the design of the overalls, adding too much extra-spun fleece and down.

It’s supposed to be for winter, not an expedition to the north pole...Maya rubs her temples. And now the legs are too short which means air will get between the top of their socks and the hem and then blow up the legs and make them cold. And it needs a bonding layer over top of the regular fabric for the waterproofing later or it’ll start to peel...Maya continues to make more notes.She sends Jenkins a request for the original design documents, adding a reminder to her tablet to review the spec for any issues with the baseline.

Maya then turns her attention to one of the diaper designs she’d been working on for the client, and wonders who on earth designed the original. The bones of a good design are there, but the animals’ eyes are out of proportion which makes them look creepy instead of cute. The tapes are out of position a bit too, and Maya can tell it will make the fit less effective for the purpose as well as being uncomfortable so she tweaks that as well. She slides her hand across the sample design fabric—and immediately regrets that decision.

The texture reminds her of microfiber in all the wrong ways, sticking to her fingers in such a way that it feels like it’s...inside her skin rather than touching it.

“Nope!” Maya exclaims, shaking out her hand out of reflex as if she can fling the feeling off. “Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!”

It doesn’t help.

Maya immediately adds: Absolutely not. To the fabric type—some kind of fancy, corporate ‘microcloth-backed design’ that whoever greenlit this design has definitely, positively,  never actually touched. Or they’re some kind of alien who likes that feeling...

Maya shudders.

Maya’s Smartband chimes, warning her that the 22:05 autobus is arriving in five minutes. She won’t even make the lobby before then. She looks at the time and is dismayed to see that it’s 22:00 which is 4 hours past her normal quitting time.

Yikes.

That also means it’s two hours before another Northview-bound cycle, and, at this time of year it will already be dark out.

Great...Why do I always lose track of time like this? Maya wonders as she begins to pack up. She pauses momentarily to check her account, remembering Meekah’s promise earlier that day and feels a wave of relief at the 4,250 Coin sitting in her account. She has more money now than she’s ever had—or seen even—at once in her whole life. It’s a strange feeling for sure, to not have to panic about finances, and she takes a moment to pay her rent, feeling like a massive weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

Her stomach rumbles hungrily, but the cafeteria is closed now, and she doesn’t want to detour on the way home for food, getting back this late will be sketchy enough as it is...

“Maya? What are you still doing here, you’re normally out of here by 18.” Meekah’s voice wonders from the entryway to the lab. “Everyone else already went home too, did you not notice?”

“Um, no...I got a little absorbed in my work.”

“I can see that. Do you have a way to get home?”

“I can just wait for the next autobus...” Maya says. It’s not ideal, but the last thing she wants to do is burden Meekah even more than she already has after all of her generosity...

“I’ll just give you a ride, it’s not a problem.” Meekah counters.

“You really don’t have to—”

“Maya.” Meekah says again, sounding almost like she’s talking to a particularly stubborn kid. “I know I don’t have to, but I want to make sure you get home safely. The autobus stops aren’t always the best places to be this late at night, even around here. I’m sure you can handle it, but I’ll feel better knowing you got back okay. What do you say?”

“I...” Maya bites her lip, and then her fingertips, stressed at being put on the spot, but also able to follow Meekah’s logic. “I guess that’d be okay. But at least let me give you some money for fuel or something.”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s not a problem at all. Do you have everything you need?” Meekah wonders.

“Yeah...” Maya says reluctantly, following Meekah out.

She’s never been in the executive garage before, and although she expected something fancy, it’s just a regular concrete parking structure. Meekah apparently drives a tank...

“Um...why do you drive a tank?” Maya wonders in shock.

Meekah chuckles. “It’s not a tank. It’s a Defender-series, but it doesn’t have any of the police lights or of their gas canister or flashbang launchers. Armored doors and windows come standard though. Hop in. It’s got heated seats too.”

Maya just blinks. It’s a bit of a struggle to get situated, as the SUV sits considerably higher than any of the vehicles Maya is used to riding in, even with the step-rail. The engine rumbles to life with a low, throaty growl, the headlights cutting through the dim parking lot.

“This is really comfy.” Maya admits. “Thanks for the ride home, and everything...”

“It’s no trouble. And you should see my other one.” Meekah grins.

“Why something so, um, big? And armored. And stuff.” Maya says, anxiously nibbling on her fingers again.

“I wasn’t always a C-Suite girl. It’s familiar and reliable, and I did some time in executive protection before I started this company. After seeing some of the crazy things people tried doing that job, well, I figure you can’t be too careful. That, and the legroom is nice.” Meekah explains.

“Oh. That makes sense.” Maya answers. “What did you do, before this?”

“That’s a story for another night.” Meekah says gently. “Do you need to make any stops on the way back?”

Maya ignores her growling stomach, not wanting to inconvenience Meekah any more than necessary since she’s already getting a ride home. “No, thank you. I live in Northview...um...at the apartment building on Prosperity and 21st? I know it’s not the greatest area, but it’s mine at least...I can walk from the autobus stop if you’d rather not drive all the way there in such a nice car...”

“Don’t be silly, Maya. I’m giving you a ride home because I want you to get there safely. It wouldn’t do any good to not actually do that, now would it? And besides, if anything happens, this car is probably the safest place for you to be anyway.”

“Okay...” Maya says, still feeling guilty for being so much trouble and not knowing what else to say. She picks at the her fingernails anxiously.

“Here.” Meekah says, handing her a stress ball from the center console. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I get stressed too sometimes.”

Maya smiles softly. “Thanks. I’ve always been kinda weird, I guess.”

“You’re not weird. We all have our own ways of coping with stress. I’d just rather you have a more constructive outlet that doesn’t hurt your fingers.”

Maya doesn’t know what to say to that, feeling more and more uneasy as they pass from the cleaner, safer districts further and further into the more dangerous parts of town. Energy efficient lights shift to old sodium bulbs. Regal, modern buildings give way to crumbling structures in disrepair and the sidewalks get more and more covered with trash and detritus.

“I’m sorry.” Maya says softly. “You shouldn’t have to come all the way out here just for me.”

“Don’t be sorry. You’re worth it. And so much more. You deserve kindness and decency the same as everyone else, Maya. No matter where you come from.” Meekah answers.

A few moments later they pull into the parking lot, which already starting to attract exactly the kinds of people Maya was hoping not to have to deal with. She sees a Coinchip and a baggie change hands and pretends not to notice. One of the men in front of the building—and also blocking the door, incidentally—turns, revealing a metallic glint at his waistband that Maya would really rather not think about.

Meekah flicks on the high-beams and angles the car so they’re pointed at the entrance.  She presses a button on the navigation display and it switches to a green tactical overlay that looks almost military, instead of the standard night-time display. She raises her left hand to flip a switch next to the sun visor and for the first time, Maya notices that Meekah wears her Smartband with the holodisplay on the inside of her wrist rather than the outside.

“Thanks for the ride, I really appreciate it.” Maya says. “I can handle it from here.” she feels around for her keys, wanting to be able to get in and lock the door behind herself quickly.

“I’m coming with you.” Meekah says, her voice firm and her eyes alert, scanning.

“You don’t have to—” Maya begins to insist, but Meekah interrupts, looking at her directly.

“That’s not up to you, Maya. I wasn’t asking. It’s not safe for you to go out there by yourself, and before you say anything, just because you do it on a regular basis, that doesn’t make it any safer. You don’t have to like it, but this is happening, okay?”

Maya feels about five years old again, but not in a bad way exactly. Its a tone she recognizes well, the kind that means it’s not really a choice, but for some reason she doesn’t feel afraid. She doesn’t want to be a burden, but at the same time, she’s glad that Meekah is coming along. She frowns. “Okay...”

“Maya, look at me. I need you to listen to me very carefully. If anything happens, or if I squeeze your hand three times, you run as fast as you can back here and you get back in the car, okay? I mean it. Worst case scenario it has auto-drive and all you have to do is push the red button on the steering wheel and say ‘lockdown’. It will lock all the doors and it has electric anti-intrusion defenses that will stop anyone trying to force their way in. It will notify the police and you’ll be safe until they get here. It uses an executive priority code, so I can promise they’ll actually show up. Do you understand?” Meekah’s voice is calm, but absolutely serious.

“Yes. I understand.”

“Good. So what do you do if something happens?”

“I run back to the car, push the red button, and say ‘lockdown’.” Maya recites, feeling oddly more at ease knowing there’s a plan if something crazy happens.

“Good job. I’ll come and get you out. Stay close, and stay behind me.” Meekah says. She flips another switch and the screen says: System Armed. She gets out and moves carefully around the car to open Maya’s door.

Maya takes a deep breath, following Meekah toward the building.

“Cover your ears.” Meekah says.

Maya does, and the car emits very loud, shrill beep that causes all of the people in front of the building to wince and cover their own ears. Her heart pounds in her chest. Her ears are ringing slightly, but nowhere near as badly as they would be without Meekah’s warning. She’s also keenly and suddenly aware that she needs to pee. She has to hurry to keep up with Meekah’s longer, purposeful strides. She grabs onto Meekah’s jacket reflexively. She knows she shouldn’t show weakness, but she’s terrified. She’s seen these people around before, and none of them are good news.

“Fuck you think you’re goin’?” The man with the puffy jacket asks.

“Inside.” Meekah says firmly.

“Think you’re some kinda cop or something?” He presses.

Meekah stares him down. “No, but the cops will be pretty interested if an executive goes missing around here. Especially one like me.” She pulls up one of her sleeves.

“Holy shit! I don’t want any trouble, ma’am. We’ll be on our way right now isn’t that right boys?”

The crowd disperses in less than a minute.

Maya can’t see her face, but just from the way Meekah is standing, she’s intimidated and Meekah’s cold and authoritative voice wasn’t even directed at her.

“Disarm. Engage standby.” Meekah says into her watch. “What floor do you live on?” She asks in a much gentler voice.

“Th-third floor. I’m in apartment B...who are you? Those guys were really scared of you.”

“Like I said, it’s a story for another time, kid. Let’s get you inside and warm, it’s chilly out.” Meekah answers, but she sounds like she’s smiling a little.

They head upstairs, and Meekah’s alert posture doesn’t relax until they arrive at Maya’s door.

“Thanks for the ride. And, um, the help getting in. That could have been hairy.” Maya admits.

“You’re welcome. It’s not a problem. That’s why I insisted on coming with you. And now you’re home safe, just like I promised.”

“Yeah.” Maya says as she unlocks her door. “You sure you’re not gonna tell me what that was all about? Not even a little teeny bit?”

Meekah smiles in good-natured exasperation. “It’s not exactly bedtime story material. And, I thought you said you didn’t need to stop anywhere. Your fridge is completely empty, Maya.”

“Um, yeah, so about that...” Maya stalls, having not bothered to shut the empty fridge before leaving for work that morning.

“We’re going to go to the store and fix that now before I drop you off.”

“But I can just—” Maya begins.

“Maya.” Meekah’s voice is firm, but kind. “It’s not up for discussion. Come on. The sooner we leave the sooner we’ll be done, it won’t take long.”

“I...okay...” Maya concedes, knowing it won’t do any good to argue. Part of her feels a bit upset at having the choice taken away, but she mostly just feels...safe, almost, with Meekah being so willing to take charge and insist that she do what she needs to do rather than what she wants without making her feel bad.

“Thank you.” Meekah says. “It should only take a few minutes to get the basics, and then you’ll be able to rest. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

“I’m okay.” Maya says, and then yawns. Meekah gently smirks, but says nothing.

***

The grocery store is too bright, the metal of the cart too cold under her fingers.

“Okay,” Maya says, grimacing against the pain between her temples. “I think I’ve got everything.”

Meekah looks amused as she surveys the cart. “Maya, no.” She says, but she doesn’t sound upset, more like she thinks it’s funny. “You can have one carton of ice-cream, not six. And, you barely have any fruits or veggies.”

“Well, I didn’t know what to buy, and these were all on sale...” Maya protests lamely, but even she can see that six cartons of ice cream may have been a little excessive...

Meekah smiles warmly. “That’s okay. I’m not upset. I know you’re probably not used to being able to grocery shop for a lot at once, so I’ll help you out with picking some stuff that will last and that will fill you up.”

“Ice cream is filling...and I’ve never gotten to try any of these flavors before. They have Starfruit Swirl, Galaxy Butternut, Okobean Supreme...”

“Those all sound delicious, Maya. But you’re not getting six cartons of ice cream. Pick one, and put the rest back please, then we can get the essentials.” Meekah says gently. “We need some fruits and vegetables, proteins like eggs, meat, and the chicken you already picked out, and maybe some cheese, and some bread for sandwiches. Do you like pasta?”

Maya nods. “I love pasta, but I haven’t gotten to eat it much lately.”

“We’ll get some of that too, then. Is there anything we should avoid? Are you allergic to anything?”

“Oh. Yeah, I’m allergic to itrafruit and novanut butter, but nothing else besides that.”

“Alright. That sounds pretty easy to work with. We should get started though, it’s getting pretty late.”

Meekah guides Maya through the store, explaining how to check fruits and vegetables for ripeness, how to cook balanced meals, and what spices or seasonings might be good with certain dishes. By the time they’re finished, Maya can barely keep her eyes open. Their total comes to 150 Coin.

It’s more money than Maya has ever spent on groceries in the year she’s been living on her own, and she feels almost guilty about spending so much even though she can easily afford it now.

But, she needn’t have worried; Meekah pays for before Maya can even get out her coinchip.

“You didn’t have to do that. I could have paid for myself. You’ve already done so much.” Maya says as they carry the bags to Meekah’s Defender.

"I know you don't need me to do it. I know you can handle things on your own. But you deserve kindness, Maya. You deserve to have enough in a way that isn't running out of food on payday and then buying groceries. The money I gave you earlier was money you earned on your own through hard work and dedication. The payroll thing should never have happened and it's my fault for not keeping a better eye on Janit.” Meekah admits, holding Maya’s gaze as she closes the trunk.

Maya pauses, thinking for a moment as they both get into the car. She can’t exactly argue with Meekah’s point, but it still feels wrong somehow. “I just...I don’t want you to think of me as a charity case or something. I can do for myself. It might not be as much as what other people can, but I’ll be okay.” Maya replies as she buckles herself in.

“I know you can. And I don’t think of you that way at all, Maya. You’re very intelligent and very capable, and you’ve been able to do a lot with very little up to now. But, you also deserve to be comfortable. I know you might not agree, and you might think things are fine. This is just me trying to help out and make life a little easier for you. No strings, no expectations. It would make me feel better to know you've got enough for a rainy day, or even enough to treat yourself to takeout sometimes when you don't feel like cooking, alright? I know you're capable, Maya, I never doubted that for a second and I wouldn't have hired you if I had. But needing help doesn't make you a burden; and it doesn't make you weak. It just makes you human. I hope you can believe that one day, even if right now you disagree."

Maya swallows past the lump in her throat, glad for the darkness to hide the tears welling up. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Meekah says.

The car ride back is mercifully short, and the ruffians from before are nowhere to be found.

Maya breathes a sigh of relief and helps Meekah carry the groceries up to her apartment. It doesn’t take long to put everything away, but Maya can barely keep her eyes open by the time they’re finished.

“You should be proud of yourself.” Meekah says. “Today was a big day for you.” She reaches out and takes Maya’s forearm gently, putting their Smartbands close enough that they can exchange contact information. “That’s my personal number. If you ever need anything, just call okay? Remember: no strings attached. Everyone needs help sometimes.”

Maya just nods, her throat tight. “Thank you.”

“I’ll let you get some rest. See you at work tomorrow. Sleep well.”

“Thanks,” Maya says before being ambushed by a yawn. “You too.” She locks the door behind Meekah and collapses into bed.

I’ll shower in the morning, she thinks, the hum of her now-full fridge lulling her to sleep.

[Abdladamabc]

Really enjoying this so far. Looking forward to more!

[Brutal_Ink]

Thanks so much for reading everyone! Please let me know what you think if you can spare the time, I'm eager to hear what you think of the changes.

some brief notes about date/time in-universe and other terms:

The Kalvassan week consists of eight days, each 32 hours long:

Immorn, Esday, Trasday, Midris, Landsi, Resus, Harsday, and Epastay

The year is 10 months long:
1. Rennita
2. Florissa
3. Crestis
4. Solmida
5. Agaris
6. Russimer
7. Vensava
8. Glacitas
9. Somnolis
10. Lunava

 

NURSAID (Nascent Universal Rehabilitation Service for Accidents Illness and Disability.) The planetary healthcare system, blending government support with private medical expertise. It handles everything from prehospital care like ambulances and emergency medicine, to care from chronic illnesses and hospice. It is very well maintained, and there are no extremely long waitlists for critically ill or injured people.

 

 

Services:

• Universal healthcare coverage

• Classification-specific medical care

• Chrysalis management and monitoring

• Emergency response coordination

• Mental health services

• Preventive care and wellness programs

On with the show!
___________________________

 

Chapter 3

Maya awakes to a pounding head and aching joints.

Please tell me I’m not getting sick...

Maya peels herself out of bed, feeling like she’s in a fog, like her body has input lag. The hot shower soothes her headache a little, but her stomach is in an uproar, and despite the fact that she has actual food now—and plenty of it besides—she can only bring herself to eat some toast with sunfruit butter after getting dressed. She plays with the idea of calling in sick to work, but she’s an employee now, officially, and it wouldn’t look good to not show up on her first real day of work.

Maya shuffles to the autobus stop, suffering through a coughing fit halfway there. She’s simultaneously too hot and too cold, shivering and sweating as she rests her forehead against the cool window inside the vehicle. She naps without meaning to, waking up to: Next stop, BioHealth campus playing over the speakers. She stands up, and nearly falls down the stairs when she slips. She manages to catch herself in time, barely.

Maya squeezes through a group of other early arrivals, catching snippets of conversation as she brushes past.

“That’s the one who got Janit suspended.” Someone murmurs.

“She could at least dress like she works here.” A woman sneers “She looks like she got lost on her way to high school.”

Maya frowns, but doesn’t bother to say anything. She’s 20, and part of her bristles at the comment, but she feels floaty and gross and disconnected and all she wants to do is sit down. She barely has the energy to stand, and conflict has never been something she’s comfortable with; she pushes onward to the elevator. When the doors close, mercifully, she’s alone.

She collapses into her chair at her station, operating the controls to login and check her tasks as if she’s in slow motion, barely able to focus on the individual steps needed to complete tasks, let alone the greater scope of what she’s working on. The bright, organized space of the lab is usually a comforting place to be, but not today. Her head is swimming, her eyes hurt,  and even she can barely make sense of the annotations she’s making on the holomodel for tweaking changes to a shirt with magnetic buttons, and she has to redo them three times before they make enough sense to send along.

I feel awful...Maya thinks, rubbing her temples as though she can soothe the pounding headache away. She digs around in her bag and is relieved to find some—almost-expired, but usable—deframol, which she hopes will be enough to take the edge off her headache if nothing else.

“Are you okay, Maya? You’re looking kinda rough.” Sydney says, her voice low and her green eyes concerned. Her blonde hair has been trimmed a little since yesterday.

“I’m fine. Just tired.” Maya says. “Probably just allergies. Did you get a haircut?”

Sydney frowns. “Don’t try to change the subject,” her voice is knowing. She smiles “but yes I did. What do you think? It was getting kind of long anyway, so I figured it was time to switch things up a bit.

“It looks great!”

“Do you want any medicine? Or maybe an early lunch, it’ll be time soon anyway...Did you eat breakfast?”

“Not much. My stomach was kind of upset this morning, I didn’t want to take a chance.” Maya explains, wondering if maybe that’s part of the reason she doesn’t feel well.

“Do you feel up to something small? Maybe some yogurt with stonefruit and cherrynut crumbles?”

Maya is immediately ravenous at the mention of it—maybe she’s just hungry. “That sounds amazing, actually. Let me just save my edits and we can go.” It takes a few tries due to a tremor in her hands, but she manages.

Maya follows Sydney to the cafeteria, where she sets up her employee account with some funds for snacks and lunch on days that she forgets or doesn’t feel like bringing lunch from home. It’s a small thing, but it’s something she never dreamed she’d be able to do before yesterday. She picks out a yogurt and a sandwich, along with a bottle of tangfruit juice, something she loves but doesn’t have often.

“Feeling better?” Sydney wonders after Maya’s finished her yogurt and sandwich.

“A lot better. Maybe I just needed to eat.” Maya replies. Her headache isn’t totally gone, but it’s much easier to think now, and the lights seem tolerably intense now, rather than overwhelming. One of the senior design employees gives her a derisive look from across the cafeteria, and Maya is suddenly very interested in her drink.

“Did I, um, do something? Everyone’s been giving me dirty looks today. I know I got Janit in trouble, but—”

“Janit got herself in trouble.” Sydney corrects. “People are just upset because whatever they’re doing as a result of that has gotten more than a few people written up for doing things they shouldn’t or for not getting their work done in a timely manner.” Sydney explains. “That’s good. There are a lot of people in here who have been getting away with being lazy for way too long.”

“I mean, I guess. I just don’t like being looked at like I’m the bad guy. And the woman from this morning said I looked like I didn’t even work here...I didn’t think I looked that bad, and I haven’t had time to get new clothes since I finally got paid yesterday.”Maya confesses, picking at her nails.

“You look fine, don’t worry about it. Getting some more office-style clothes wouldn’t hurt, but there’s nothing bad about your outfit. Some people just have way more time to gossip since they aren’t working. But, with Janit gone, hopefully that means things will start changing around here. If you want any help picking some outfits, just let me know.” Savannah smiles.

“Thanks. I wouldn’t really know what to buy, and I don’t want to spend a fortune on work clothes, you know?” Maya admits.

“You don’t have to go crazy. Polished and Prepped is having a sale, and they have lots of good stuff that’s not super expensive. Dressed to Impress is a little bit pricier, but not unreasonable like Hatters or Glossed-Up. Their stuff is usually a little more comfortable and seems like it’d be more your style.”

“Oh, okay. Maybe we could go together over the weekend if you’re not busy? I’m not great at shopping for clothes.” Maya replies, she usually prioritizes comfort over style.

“I’ll be away this weekend, remember? But maybe when I get back? I’m free on Landsi or Resus next week, but I’ve got family stuff over the weekend. Sorry life is kinda busy right now.” Sydney looks disappointed.

“Oh, right the concert, I forgot.” Maya gives a sheepish smile. “Next weekend works too; I can get a few things in the meantime that are better than, well, this.” She gestures to herself and checks her Smartband. “I should get back to work though. I have a few things to wrap up on the latest design I’ve been tweaking, and like, six other things after that.” she explains.

“I’ll let you get back to it then. I have a lot to do today too.” Sydney replies, standing and gathering her trash from the meal.

“Thanks for having lunch with me and for making sure I ate. I feel a lot better now.” Maya says. She still feels a little out of it and shaky, but a lot better than she did before eating.

“That’s what I’m here for sweetie. Somebody’s got to make sure you’re taking care of yourself. You work too hard sometimes.” Savannah answers, grinning.

“I do take care of myself.” Maya counters, playfully indignant.

“Uh-huh.” Sydney gives her a knowing look. “A little help never hurts though right? Go work your magic and try to ignore the weeds. They’re just jealous that your hard work paid off. I’m proud of you, Maya!”

Maya’s cheeks warm. “Thanks, Syd. I’ll see you around then,” She tosses her trash into the garbage and makes a brief stop by the restroom to make sure she hasn’t gotten anything on her face before heading back to the lab.

***

Maya yawns as she puts the finishing touches on a suit and pants set for Littles, adjusting the dimensions to help conceal a diaper or pull-up without making the pants look too big. Her headache is back, and her trembling hands make the fine adjustments difficult. It’s a bit past 18:00, and everyone else in Product Design has gone home. Maya herself would normally  have left by now too, butt she’d wanted to finish her final edits. After her promotion yesterday, she wants to make sure she’s staying on top of her tasks and earning her keep.

The last thing she wants is for Meekah to feel like giving her an official position was a mistake.

“Maya?” Meekah’s voice is instantly recognizable.

“Director Saphrin, hello!” Maya whirls, almost toppling out of her chair as a wave of dizziness washes over her. “What brings you down here?”

Meekah just sighs. “I just came to tell you the client for those overalls from last week absolutely loves your design and they wanted me to personally thank you for your work in making it a reality. They’re flying off the shelves apparently. Are you okay? You look pale.”

“I’m fine, ma’am. Just a little worn out, that’s all.” Maya says, shivering as the hot-and-cold sensation from this morning returns.

Meekah doesn’t look convinced. “If you say so. But, I’m giving you the day off tomorrow. Go home and rest, Maya. It won’t do either of us any good for you to work yourself into the ground.”

“I’m really okay, just a little under the weather. I don’t...I don’t want to give people more of a reason to say stuff about me.” Maya admits. “And I want to prove I deserve this position. I know...I know people talk. I don’t want them to think I can’t do my job.”

Meekah’s eyes narrow immediately. “Who said something to you, Maya? You know how I feel about bullying in the workplace, against you or anyone else.”

“I don’t know their names. It’s nothing major, just some comments and dirty looks. I can handle it.”

“I know you can, but you shouldn’t have to. That kind of behavior is unprofessional and bad for morale and by extension, business. I won’t have it in my company. Our audit of the records has exposed a lot of people who were trying to take advantage of having a friend in HR. If they’re upset with being held accountable, then they should do their jobs instead of gossiping. Janit made her own bed. If anyone gives you trouble about that, you come straight to me, understand?” Meekah replies.

“Yes ma’am.” and then, more quietly. “thank you. I don’t mean to be so much trouble. I’m not trying to cause any problems.”

“You’re not trouble at all. None of this is your fault. Do you need a ride home today?”

“No, I’ll be alright, I can make the autobus station with plenty of time to spare today.”

“Okay. But, I’m being serious about tomorrow. Stay home and rest okay? There’s nothing to do that can’t wait a day for you to feel better.”

“I—” Maya begins to protest, but Meekah gently cuts her off.

“Maya. It’s not up for debate. Stay home and rest. Your work quality will suffer if you try to force yourself to power through being miserable to prove a point you don’t need to prove.”

Maya frowns, exhausted and unsure of how to counter that. “Okay.”

“Thank you.” Meekah says. “I appreciate all your hard work, but balance is important. Your work will still be here waiting for you when you get back on Midris.”

“Alright.” Maya concedes. “But, please keep me in the loop if anyone has questions or anything.”

“I’ll make sure the team knows they can reach you if it’s urgent, but I’d really like it if you took some time for yourself to rest and focus on feeling better, okay?”

Maya nods. “Okay. I can do that.” She checks her Smartband and sees that she can still make the autobus with plenty of time to spare if she starts packing up now, and that’s exactly what she does, stifling another yawn.

“Good. I’ll see you on Midras then.” Meekah replies. “Feel free to reach out if you need anything.”

“Thanks. I um, I appreciate you for looking out for me.” Maya says honestly.

“Of course,” Meekah’s mouth turns up at the corners. “I’ll leave you to it then, have a safe trip home.”

“You too,” Maya replies, but when she looks up again, Meekah has already left. She slings her bag over one shoulder. The walk to the autobus station feels longer than it should. The strange disconnected feeling from earlier that morning has begun to creep back in, leaving Maya bone-tired. Her limbs feel twice as heavy as they should—walking is like trying to wade through honey. Fortunately, the autobus ride home is uneventful and there aren’t any creeps in the parking lot when Maya arrives back at her apartment.

Even the dim lighting in the hallways and stairwells of her building feels too intense, and Maya is all too happy to finally be home. She downs another two deframol tablets with some water and heats up one of the frozen meals she’d bought yesterday at the store.

Her smartband vibrates. Reminder: Follow-up w/ HR re: pay?

Maya smiles and marks the task as complete. In all the chaos of the previous day, she’d completely forgotten to take the reminder off her to-do list. Her smartband is scuffed and beaten-up from years of abuse, but it still works fairly well most of the time. Honestly, she’s surprised it’s lasted as long as it has. It’s a cheap, knock-off version of one of the big names like  Smoothstone or Otosuka. It’s something that’s needed replacing for at least the last year, but with leaving the Lightbearers and barely making ends meet with part-time work before she got hired at BioHealth, it just hasn’t been a priority.

Maybe tomorrow. Maya thinks. Now she could easily afford one of the nicer models, but the idea of going anywhere at the moment is completely out of the question. She takes a hot shower, hoping to soothe her aching muscles and joints. It takes the edge off enough that Maya feels ready for bed, so she dresses in soft, comfortable pajamas and gets into bed after turning on the holoscreen and putting on a nature documentary for background noise.

Calling it a bed is generous really, it’s just a mattress on the floor, but it does the job. I could look at bed frames tomorrow too, maybe finally get an adaptive mattress...that’d be pretty nice. Maya’s never allowed herself to want for the creature comforts that most people—who don’t live in Northview, at least—have, but until now it wouldn’t have been possible to get anything like that.

Maya yawns again, curling up underneath the blankets and drifting off to sleep.

 

***

Maya awakens to the sharp, acrid smell of smoke.

She snaps to awareness, coughing and sputtering, her eyes burning. Her heart immediately drops into her stomach and she rolls off the bed, remembering being told countless times as a little girl: ‘get low, and then go’.

Her eyes are streaming with tears both from fear and from the smoke filling the air. Maya snatches her Smartband off the charger, and her earbuds so she can hear the dispatcher as she immediately presses the Emergency button. She crawls across the floor reaching up with the back of her hand to feel the doorknob.

It’s uncomfortably warm.

No, no, no, no, no!

Maya’s on the third floor, too high to jump and there’s no fire escape on her side of the building. The fire access door next to her apartment has been jammed shut since she moved in, and the landlord has never responded to her requests to fix it.

She’s trapped.

Maya takes a breath, coughs, and tries to keep herself together.

“Southgate Emergency response, what is your emergency?” The dispatcher’s voice is calm and in-control. It helps to soothe Maya’s frayed nerves.

“My apartment building is on fire. I’m trapped in my apartment on the third floor.” Maya pauses to cough. “Please hurry!”

“Help is on the way right now, may I have your name sweetheart?”

“Maya,” she wheezes and fights off another coughing fit.

“That’s a lovely name. We have your location Maya, Fire and Rescue is on the way now. The drones will arrive ahead of the firefighters to begin external fire suppression measures. But right now, I need you to do something, okay?” The man’s voice is gentle and soothing, a ray of sunshine through dark storm clouds.

“Okay,” Maya answers, her entire body trembling.

“I need you to cover your mouth and nose with a wet t-shirt or rag, it will help to filter the air you’re breathing. Then, if you have any towels or bedsheets, soak them with water and stuff them under the door to keep the smoke out.”

It helps to have something concrete to focus on, something to keep her hands occupied and the panic at bay. Maya works frantically, soaking her bedsheets and towels with water and shoving them into the crack under the door. “Okay—” Maya coughs again, her throat raw, her eyes burning. “okay, I’ve got it.”

“You’re doing wonderful, okay? Good job. Help is on the way, they’ll be there in less than two minutes now. The drones should be there in a few seconds. Stay low to the ground and try to stay near a window if you can. If you have anything to hang out the window, like a towel or a brightly-colored fabric that will help rescuers to locate you.”

“I—” another coughing fit. It’s unbearably hot, and sweat is pouring out of Maya, getting into her eyes and mouth, mixing with her tears. She crawls over toward the window on her stomach, staying below the thick smoke that’s begun to invade the room despite the towels stuffed under the door. She picks up her brightest article of clothing—a pink sweatshirt—and cracks the window open just enough to hang it out by the hood’s strings. “There’s a pink sweatshirt hanging out the window.”

There’s a loud, violent snapping sound from beneath her, and the floor shudders violently. The sound of breaking glass is musical and sharp, the low rumble of flames drawing closer by the second.

Maya yelps, not even registering the warm, wet sensation splashing down the inside of her legs. All she can think about is how horrible it would be to die in a fire.

She prays.

Makers in the Luminous Garden, grant me strength. I know I am severed from the Vine, but I beg your mercy in my hour of need. Refresh me with the water of life, for I am thirsty. Feed me, for I am hungry. Comfort me, for I am afraid...

It’s more out of an instinctive habit than out of any true belief in the Lightbearer teachings, but it’s something she’s always done in stressful situations. The peace she’s hoping to feel never comes, but the dispatcher is back on the line before she can panic too much.

“You should be able to hear the sirens now, Maya. I have confirmation that the drones are on site.”

Distantly, she can. She coughs again, triggering a violent coughing fit that sees her throwing up from the force of it all.

“Are you alright Maya? The Firefighters will be there soon, they’re asking me to tell you that they see your shirt, and they need you to back away from the window if you can, or to sit in the nearest corner and cover your face, they’re going to break the window to get you out, okay?”

“Okay. My head hurts.” Maya groans. The heat is oppressive, her throat desiccated and parched, each breath coming hotter and more painful than the last.

There’s a dull scraping sound, and Maya looks over to the window to see a firefighter winding up to break the window and has just enough time to turn away before the window shatters. Getting out of the building is a blur, strong, sure hands guiding her to a  basket that gently lowers her to the ground. A NURSAID medic is putting an oxygen mask over her face, helping her to lay on a stretcher nearby. Above her, she can see flames licking the edges of the window she’s just been rescued from.

It’s all gone... She thinks. It doesn’t truly register, not yet.

Mostly she’s just grateful to be alive.

It’s only now that she feels the wet clinginess of her pajama pants and feels her face heating up in shame.

“Maya?” One of the medics asks in a soft voice, her expression concerned and attentive. “Are you having any trouble breathing at all? Any headache or any injuries?”

“A little. My head hurts, but I don’t think I’m hurt anywhere...” Maya replies, mentally checking herself over for any aches and pains.

“We’d like to take you down to the hospital just to get you checked out and make sure everything is okay, just in case. Would that be alright?”

Maya just nods, exhausted.

“Okay, we’ll get you situated and be on our way shortly.” The medic says.

Maya doesn’t—can’t—say anything. She just looks back at her window, watching the remains of the life she’d just begun building for herself literally going up in smoke. Her tiny, imperfect corner of the world that she’d fought and struggled for ever scrap to build, that she’d uprooted herself and left her entire existence behind for, all gone.

She doesn’t even try to stop the tears this time as she’s put into the back of the ambulance, drifting away on the tides of grief and despair.

***

The hospital’s lights are too bright, and the sheet on the bed is like sandpaper against her skin. Maya is dressed in a modest hospital gown and, if nothing else, glad to be out of her wet clothes.

She doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to wash the smell of smoke out of her hair, and the doctor had looked more concerned than she was comfortable with when he’d first looked her over. The oxygen has been helping, but her head still hurts, and she wants nothing more than to go home—except there is no home anymore.

Maya knows she must look a mess. She’s been staring at her smartband for the last hour, reeling from the call with her parents, but she knows it won’t do any good. She’s known since before she decided to leave that she’d be marked as severed, but even so, she’d thought her parents would be there for her in her moment of greatest need.

“Hi, mom...I know it’s been a while, but my apartment...there was a fire and everything’s gone. I’m okay, but I have nowhere to go...can I stay with you guys tonight? I know it’s a bit of a drive but—”

“No. You’re severed Maya. You know what that means, and you knew what it would mean before you left. You made your choice, you left everything and everyone who knew you and cared about you so you could explore the world. Ask one of your worldly friends to help you out.”

And that was it. Maya’s cheeks are still wet from crying, but she supposes she shouldn’t have expected any help. That had been made abundantly clear from childhood:

“Mom, why didn’t we say hi to Carlo? I thought we were supposed to be nice and say hello to everyone who comes to the Planting Sessions?” Maya points out, proud of herself for remembering not to say ‘rootings’ like the other kids at school. She’d gotten smacked across the mouth or otherwise disciplined more than enough for forgetting say the right words. She doesn’t really understand why the difference is important, only that her parents get mad and tell her that the Makers don’t like it when she says the wrong thing.

“Carlo is severerd, Maya. The Makers are punishing him for breaking the rules. When he’s done being punished, we can talk to him again.”

“That seems...mean. Aren’t we supposed to forgive each other so that the Vine can grow instead of being, um, stifled by our pride?”

Maya’s mother sighs. “You’ll understand when you’re older. Come on and let’s go sit down, the Session is about to start, and if I catch you falling asleep again, we’re going back to the bathroom to have a little talk. If you have energy to run around and play outside before the session, you can sit and pay attention during it.”

Maya swallows hard. She can’t help that she gets tired or bored sometimes, it’s hard to sit and listen to the boring speeches the Tenders make after already having to sit for so long at school. But, she also knows she’ll get an even worse spanking at home if she does fall asleep...

“Okay. I’ll be good.” Maya says.

“You’d better. It makes our family looks spiritually weak when people see you sleeping when you should be paying attention and participating in the session.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ll do better.” Maya promises, picking at her fingers anxiously in response to her mother’s stern voice.

She’s mad already and I didn’t even do anything! Maya thinks.

“We’ll see. And stop picking at your fingers like that. You’re going to make them bleed again and it makes you look, well, abnormal.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll stop.” Maya says automatically, not even realizing she was doing it again.

“I’ve heard that before.” Maya’s mother mutters as they find their seats.

Maya blinks away the memory.

“Maya? Oh, thank Esvyra, you’re alright.” Meekah’s voice cuts through the drone of the beeping hospital monitors. She sounds almost relieved.

She’s dressed in a gray t-shirt and black cargo pants, more relaxed than anything Maya has ever seen her wear. An intricate tattoo winds up her left arm, decidedly military-esque, and disappears beneath the sleeve of her shirt.

Maya blinks. “Meekah? What are you—how did you know I was here?”

“A old friend of mine works for emergency service branch of NURSAID, and they told me one of my employees was involved in a fire in Northview. You’re the only one from there, so I came to see how you’re doing. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I...” Maya begins, but can’t speak past the lump in her throat. Tears are spilling over before she can stop them, harsh, ugly sobs wracking her body. Distantly, she’s worried she’ll make herself sick again, but that feels unimportant in the face of everything she’s just been through.

Warm arms wrap around her, holding her close and rubbing her back gently.

“It—it’s all gone...” Maya manages. “What am I going to do? Everything I had...”

“I know honey.” Meekah says softly. “I know it must be extremely difficult for you right now. But the important thing is that you’re safe. Things can be replaced, but you can’t be. The rest can all be sorted with time.” 

Maya laughs bitterly, pulling back. “How? My family won’t help me because I left their religion...I don’t have anyone to call and everything I owned is gone...”

Meekah looks decidedly unhappy at this news, bordering on angry, but it doesn’t come through in her tone. “I’m sorry. You can stay with me in the meantime, as long as you need. I have plenty of room.”

“I couldn’t impose—” Maya begins.

“You’re not imposing, you’re being invited. Specifically and unconditionally. It’s like I said yesterday: no strings, no expectations. Whether it’s three days or three months, or even more than that, you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

“But—” All Maya can think of is how much a burden she must be to need so much help on short notice. This probably isn’t what Meekah had in mind for her evening...

“Maya.” Meekah says, with that gentle firmness that means she’s not going to argue. “No more arguments. You’re not being a burden or an inconvenience in any way whatsoever. You’ve said yourself that you don’t have anywhere to go. Please, just let me help, okay?”

“I...okay. But only until I can find a place. Then I’ll be out of your hair, I promise.”

Meekah frowns, but the doctor returns before she can retort.

“Miss Weston, how are you feeling?” He asks. He’s gray haired, with a neatly-trimmed beard and glasses over his blue eyes.

“A little better. I’m not coughing as much.” Maya admits.

“That’s good. We didn’t find anything concerning on your scans, so you’re free to go as soon as you get your discharge information. You should know though, that your Chrysalis hormones are higher than average by a considerable amount, indicative of the Onset phase. Have you been having any fatigue, coordination problems, or hypersensitivity to light, or noise, or anything like that over the last few weeks?” The doctor wonders.

Maya’s heart sinks. She’d finally caught a break, finally been able to start putting her life together, and now this. “A little...I thought I was just getting sick or something, my band never pinged me or anything...”

“I understand this is probably the last thing you want to hear at such a difficult time. But we ran the test twice just to be sure and got the same results both times. The actual physical changes won’t start for another month or two, but you really should schedule an appointment with NURSAID to monitor your progress and make sure you get your hormone and growth regulation injections in a timely manner.”

“I understand.” Maya says numbly.

“I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but legally, I have to explain. You have 45 days from today to schedule your Classification Exam and your first Chrysalis physical to establish your baseline for reference during the Metamorphosis phase. We can schedule that for you automatically, or you can schedule it yourself, but if you don’t schedule it yourself and miss the date, NURSAID will check in to make sure you’re okay and then you’ll have to go get the exam and physical to make sure you have the proper supports in place.”

“Okay.” Maya says mechanically. “You can just...I’ll take care of it later. Just...not right now. Please.”

“I completely understand. You’ve had a hard enough day already. Someone will be along shortly with your discharge paperwork. Do you need help making arrangements for a place to stay?” The doctor asks.

“She’s with me.” Meekah says, speaking for the first time since the doctor entered.

Maya just nods—there’s no real point in arguing, it isn’t like she has any other options anyway. 

“Alright. You two have a good evening, I have to go and check on the rest of the victims from the fire.”

“Did everyone make it out?” Maya wonders.

“Yes. There were a few minor burns and moderate smoke inhalation, but no one was seriously injured.”

“That’s good...” Maya says. She doesn’t look up when the doctor leaves.

“I know that was a lot.” Meekah says. “We’re not going to worry about Classification right now. Right now, all we’re going to worry about is getting you a nice hot shower, some comfortable clothes, and a warm bed. Everything else can wait.”

“That’s...a big understatement.” Maya grumbles. “My life is basically over now.”

“Your life isn’t over. Things will change, yes. But your life isn’t over. Do you remember what I said? We’re not going to worry about all that right now. One step at a time. Everything will be okay.” Meekah replies calmly.

Maya wishes she could believe her.

[Brutal_Ink]

Thank you all for reading and for the likes! Things like that really make my day! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far!

__________________

 

Chapter 4

Maya isn’t sure exactly what she’d expected to see upon arriving at Meekah’s house, but it certainly wasn’t this.

Meekah’s house is understated, but luxurious. The design is refined and modern, with clean lines and tastefully used—not to mention expensive—natural materials like stonewood. The first floor has reactive, smart-glass windows practically the whole way around that automatically polarize or go opaque based on user or home AI inputs. The furniture is comfortable, expensive without looking it and all the appliances are state of the art. The decorations are tasteful, the blankets draped over the couch in a way that makes it look like they actually get used on a regular basis and the whole thing isn’t some kind of model home setup.

Maya feels nervous just looking at the furniture, let alone sitting on it, although Meekah’s kitten, Rhubarb, who is currently winding between her legs and meowing doesn’t seem affected by the luxury. Maya can feel the tension in her back and shoulders making her head hurt. All of this is such a massive step-up from what she’s accustomed to, and being overwhelmed by all the new sights, sounds, and textures certainly isn’t helping.

“This is...wow…” Maya breathes.

Meekah just smiles. “I’m glad you like it. It’s your home too, for as long as you need it, or want it to be. I can give you the grand tour in the morning, but I’ll bet a shower and a good night’s rest is all you want right now. Would you like me to show you where everything is?”

“Yes please,” Maya replies, a little more earnestly than she’d like. She follows Meekah upstairs and is pleasantly surprised to find that the bedroom she’ll be staying in smells like fresh laundry, and the sheets are incredibly soft.

“The comforter is weighted, and the bed is adaptive, so it will adjust the firmness and angle of the mattress to make sure you’re comfortable. That can also be done manually if you want, or the home AI, Ginger, can take care of it for you.”

“Okay…” Maya nods along, still a bit stunned by everything. “You have a home AI? Is it like the one on my smartband?”

Meekah nods. “Yes, just a bit more robust. She’ll get to know you over time and learn your preferences for things like water temperature, bed softness, light intensity and that kind of thing.” She explains. The en-suite is just through this door,” Meekah opens the door to reveal a bathroom that’s easily two-thirds the size of Maya’s former apartment.

The fixtures here are top-of-the line too. The shower is a complicated thing, with a huge rainfall showerhead, multiple jets and water pressure settings, and it even has aromatherapy. The bathtub—if it can even be called that—is likewise very large, and has jets, aromatherapy and enough room There’s a body dryer, and then obviously a sink and toilet.

“This is incredible…” Maya breathes. “The shower looks amazing.”

Meekah smiles. “I’m glad you think so. I’ll let you give it a test drive. You can adjust the settings manually with the panel. Or Ginger can adjust them for you, or, if you like, you can just place your hand flat on the panel and it will use biometrics as a starting point for the setting and tailor the shower for you.”

“That’s really impressive. I think I’ll probably let the shower scan me and do its thing...this is a lot to take in at once.” Maya admits, nervously picking at her fingers. It’s amazing to have so many different options, but she doesn’t have the emotional bandwidth to make so many decisions after already dealing with so much stress.

“I don’t mean to overwhelm you, I apologize. I’ll get you some clean clothes for when you’re done showering. They’ll be big on you, but they should fit reasonably well. We can talk about what to do going forward tomorrow. Right now is time for rest and recovery.” Meekah says.

“Okay. Thank you so much for this...I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.” Maya admits sheepishly.

“You’ll never have to. I don’t want you to worry about ‘repaying’ me, Maya. I know your upbringing was, complicated, but you don’t ever need to worry about proving your worth to me, or repaying kindnesses, or anything like that. I want to help you, Maya. I have the means to, and it’s just me, Rhubarb, and Aelyn in this big empty house. You’re not imposing or causing any trouble, okay?”

“Okay…” Maya isn’t completely convinced, but she knows better than to argue by now. “Who’s Aelyn?”

“Aelyn is the housekeeper. She keeps the place tidy and is an absolutely fantastic cook. She’s away visiting her family in Valsora right now—her daughter had a baby, so she’s been away for the past few months, but she’ll be back tomorrow morning sometime. Anyway, I’ll leave you to it then, just give me a shout or have Ginger get my attention if you need anything. I’ll leave your clothes on the counter then.”

“I will, thank you again.” Maya replies.

Meekah steps out to go find her something to wear other than the sweats she’d bought from the hospital gift shop and Maya places her hand over the shower’s control panel to allow it to scan her for biometrics.

It’s the most amazing shower she’s ever taken. The water is the perfect temperature and the pressure is precisely calibrated to work the knots out of her muscles without being too much. The gentle scent of vanilla and honey is subtle, but calming, and in combination with the shampoo, it doesn’t take as long as Maya expects to finally wash the smell of smoke out of her hair. She lingers for a while, enjoying the luxurious experience, before finally stepping out onto warmed tiles as the body dryer switches on and rids her body of the heaviest moisture. Even the towels are exquisite, softer than the softest, most comfortable hoodie she owns—and with that it all comes crashing down and she’s fighting back tears all over again.

Maya dries off and returns to the guest room to find a set of pajamas laid out for her. It’s just some sweatpants, comfortable socks and a t-shirt, both much too big as Meekah is considerably taller than her, but they’re comfortable nonetheless. There’s a soft meowing sound from outside her door, and Maya pads across the incredibly soft carpet to open it.

Rhubarb is waiting—rather impatiently—on the other side of the door, and the small gray kitten wastes no time darting in and rubbing against Maya’s legs, alternating between meowing and purring contentedly.

“Hi, Rhubarb.” Maya says softly, carefully sitting down on the floor and giving the cat some gentle scratches behind her ears.

Rhubarb enjoys this for a few moments before nibbling gently on Maya’s sock.

Maya giggles. “Rhubarb! That’s not a toy you silly cat!” She pulls her foot away, laughing, which only encourages the cat more. She giggles as Rhubarb bats at the end of her too-big sock, though intervenes when the kitten’s pointy teeth become a bit to friendly with her toes. “Ow! Rhubarb, gentle, that hurts.”

Rhubarb looks personally offended and meows in protest.

“I don’t have fur, Rhubarb, and your teeth are very sharp.” Maya explains, giving the kitten more pets, which seems to placate her for the moment, and then she’s back to nibbling again.

“Maya is not a chew toy, Rhubarb, you know better.” Meekah says sternly.

Rhubarb immediately stops nipping at Maya’s foot and curls up in her lap instead.

“Ooh, you’re a little troublemaker, aren’t you, Rhu?” Maya asks, smiling as she pets the purring—and deceitfully compliant—furball.

“She’s a menace sometimes, but I love her anyway. How was your shower?” Meekah wonders softly, her eyes warm and attentive.

“It was amazing!” Maya gushes. “That’s the best shower I’ve had in my life!”

“I’m glad to hear that Maya. Are you feeling hungry or anything? There’s plenty of food if you want anything.” Meekah explains.

Maya yawns. “I’m alright. Just tired. Thanks again for letting me stay here. I’ll do my best to stay out of your way and I’ll try to find a place fast so I can be out of your hair.”

“Maya, we talked about this. You’re not an inconvenience or a burden. You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like. I know it might be hard to believe me now, but I promise it isn’t any trouble at all.”

“I...okay. Thank you.” Maya says, swallowing her urge to protest when she catches Meekah’s gaze. “I think I’m gonna turn in for the night though, if that’s okay. I’m exhausted.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about work for the next couple of days, okay? I’d say this situation qualifies as emergency leave, and I’d rather you take some time to rest and recover before heading back to work.” Meekah says. “I know you’re capable, Maya. But you’ve also been through a very traumatic experience, and you deserve to have some time to process and relax before heading back in to work. If you want, we can even go shopping for some new clothes tomorrow for when you do go back, that way you have things for work that are comfortable and some things that are yours again. Would that be okay?”

“That sounds good. What time?”

“Let’s not worry about that for right now. How about you just rest, wake up whenever, and then we can go from there. Sound good?” Meekah counters.

“Okay.” Maya yawns again, climbing into the fantastically comfortable bed and quietly marveling at how quickly it adjusts to the perfect arrangement for optimal relaxation. Rhubarb hops up onto the bed and curls up next to Maya, purring.

“Do you mind if Rhubarb stays with you? Seems like she’s gotten pretty attached already. Ginger can open the door to let her out if she wants it, so you won’t have to get up if she does.”

“That’s fine. G’night, Meekah. Thank you for everything.” Maya answers, already half-asleep.

“You’re welcome, Maya. Goodnight, and sleep well.”

Maya is asleep before Meekah has even left the room.

***

“Are you feeling okay, Maya?” Meekah asks the next morning over a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit and toast.

“Yeah. Just have a bit of a headache.” Maya says, squinting against the bright lights in the kitchen. “I took some ifrin, so hopefully that will help.”

Meekah gives Maya a strange look, but doesn’t comment on the headache. “Are you sure you feel up to shopping today?”

“Yeah. It’ll be nice to have some new things.” Maya answers. She taps on her smartband to check her account balance, but the device is completely dead, not even a blinking low-battery indicator. “Aw, thorns. Well, I guess that’s one more reason to go to the store. Kinda surprised this thing lasted so long anyway.”

“Your smartband? I had one of those before I founded BioHealth. They’re inexpensive and durable. It was good for me at the time.” Meekah replies.

Maya’s eyes trace Meekah’s tattooed arm, following it up until it disappears beneath her shirt sleeve. “Is your, um, tattoo related to that?” Maya wonders.

Meekah smiles knowingly. “Yes. I used to work for DEEN. The tattoo is a tradition that starts when you graduate training and get your axe and scepter, and then you add on to it from there as you gain experience and participate in operations.

Maya almost chokes on her toast. “What? You used to work for DEEN. Why didn’t you say anything, that’s so cool!”

Dynamic Entry Engagement and Neutralization are the people who get called to stop criminals who are extremely dangerous, up to and including extremist threats. The regular police can handle most situations, but when they can’t DEEN are the ones who get called in—and they don’t negotiate. You have one warning and five minutes to comply, or they come in after you.

“It also explains why you drive a tank…” Maya adds, grinning impishly.

Meekah just chuckles. “I’m flattered that you think so, but I didn’t get into that line of work for recognition. Some things I’m not allowed to talk about for legal reasons—and some for personal. I can tell you about training, I can tell you how many operations I took part in, and I can tell you about the operations that made the news. I can give some non-specific answers about our SOPs and TTPs, but that’s about it. I know you would never do anything on purpose, but it’s easy to tell people things you shouldn’t when you’re excited about things, so it’s easier to limit sharing of sensitive things.” Meekah explains.

“That sounds...pretty intense.” Maya replies slowly. It’s nice to have something else to focus on—anything to distract herself from yesterday’s trauma will do, honestly. “Did you get to do a lot?”

“I was part of about forty-five operations in total, so yes. I got to see a lot more than most people who work in the field do, and a lot of it wasn’t very pleasant. But I was able to help save a lot of lives and reunite Littles with their Caregivers, and families in general with people they thought they would never see again. It was hard work, but very rewarding.” Meekah explains.

“I’ll bet all of those people were really glad you were there. I know I would be.” Maya says honestly. “What’s ‘SOPs’ and ‘TTPs’ mean?”

“‘SOPs’ and ‘TTPs stands for ‘Standard Operating Procedures, which basically just means a set of rules we use in general that tell us what to do. ‘TTPs’ are ‘Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures’ which are pretty much the same, but on a smaller scale within the teams we work in. They help us to decide what to do in specific situations.” Meekah explains.

“Oh. That sounds like a lot to remember.” Maya takes a bite of her scrambled eggs.

“It can be, but with training and practice, it all sort of just becomes automatic. A lot of it, we don’t really even need to think about because we’ve practiced them so often.” Meekah replies. “Do you feel up to going out and getting some clothes today, or would you rather just take the day to rest. I’m not sending you back in to work in person until next Immorn at the earliest, so you have the rest of the week to rest and get your bearings again. Now, before you say anything about needing to keep up, I have an office you can use to check in virtually if there’s anything that desperately needs your attention, but I don’t want you drowning yourself in work to avoid dealing with everything.”

Maya frowns. “Okay, you didn’t need to call me out like that…”

“Maya, I don’t blame you at all for not wanting to think about what happened. I’m sure it was terrifying, and it’s a lot for anyone to deal with at once. You don’t have to solve every problem in one day, and as I’ve said, you can stay here as long as you need to. However, there are three things that need sorting sooner rather than later. First is getting you some clothes of your own. Second is actually resting and trying to get back to some kind of equilibrium before going back to work—and if it turns out you’re not ready in the next five days, that’s completely fine.”

“Okay...what’s the third thing?” Maya asks, knowing deep down that Meekah is talking about Chrysalis, but she’s not ready to acknowledge that yet.

“I think we both know the answer to that, Maya. The doctor said yesterday that you’re in the Onset phase of Chrysalis, which means that, at bare minimum, we need to go for your first physical and your Classification Exam.”

“I don’t want to go.” Maya says pointedly, folding her arms.

“I know. I don’t blame you, you’re already dealing with a lot. But putting it off isn’t going to keep it from happening, and if you don’t go in the next 45 days, then the Bureau of Classification and NURSAID both get involved, and I don’t think you want that, right?”

Maya shakes her head. She knows that she can’t really get into too much trouble since she’s 20, and the cutoff is 25, since most people have finished Chrysalis totally by that time, but there have been some cases of late starts at 25. Still, she knows that the Bureau would mandate that she go to her appointments and get Classified because of needing the medications to help the Metamorphosis phase go smoothly.

Doesn’t mean she has to like it though.

“No.” Maya concedes.

“We don’t have to go today if you really don’t feel up to it, but I’d like to get it done by the end of the week.” Meekah says.

Maya frowns in thought. As much as she hates the fact that Chrysalis is happening now, when there’s so many other things going on that she’s trying to balance, she knows that Meekah is right and that putting it off won’t do anything to help the situation.

“We can go today. Can we do it first though? I don’t want it hanging over my head for the rest of the week, especially since I don’t have my EMRD meds…I, um, I have really bad anxiety… and I have SSD, so I sometimes have trouble understanding what people mean, and, uh, certain textures and environments can be really overwhelming.” Maya answers finally, realizing belatedly that missing her meds might be part of the reason she feels so tense. She can feel her cheeks warming, feeling ashamed at what she’s always viewed as something that makes her weak, marks her as defective.

She takes a breath to gather herself before continuing. It doesn’t help much.

“I’m sorry. I know I’m a lot to deal with...I’ll try to find somewhere fast so you don’t have to deal with my issues. I really do appreciate you letting me stay here and I’m sorry—” Maya swallows hard, tears welling up despite her attempts to hold in her emotions. “I’m sorry I can’t be normal.” She says finally, hearing her mother’s voice echoing back to her across the years as she speaks.

“Firstly, Maya, I need you to look at me, okay?” Meekah is next to her now, taking her gently by the shoulders.

Maya does, tears streaming down her face as the weight of her own inadequacies threaten to overwhelm her completely.

Meekah pulls Maya into a gentle hug, rubbing her back gently and giving her time to collect herself before pulling back and speaking. “First of all, I don’t want to hear you talking about yourself like that, Maya. I know you’ve been through a lot over the last couple of days and in life in general. I know you were probably told a lot of things about yourself that aren’t true, over years and years, and that it will take time to be able to overcome that. I’m not asking for perfection, honey.” Meekah says, her voice almost unbearably gentle.

“Okay…”

“You’re not too much, Maya, I promise. Just because you have different needs, that doesn’t make you any less valuable as a person. You deserve to be treated with kindness and dignity, not to have someone berate you or shame you over things you can’t control. I’m sorry that you weren’t shown that or taught that, but we’ll work on it together okay?”

“Okay…” Maya repeats, sniffling.

“You’re not a burden and you’re not an inconvenience in any way at all, Maya. Please don’t ever feel like you’re not worthy of having your needs met. You deserve that and so much more, the same as anyone else.”

“Thank you…” Maya sniffles again, scrubbing at her eyes with the backs of her hands. “No one...no one’s ever said anything like that to me before. My mom was always yelling at me for picking at my fingers or getting overwhelmed growing up. She always said I was ‘being weird’ or that I was ‘too needy’ or that I was annoying her or just wanting attention because I was overwhelmed…”

“I’m so sorry to hear that Maya. You should never have had to deal with that, or anything else that you went through. I’m proud of you, Maya. You must be an incredibly strong and resilient person to be able to overcome all of that and still be as kind and brilliant as you are. If there’s anything I can do to make things easier for you while you’re staying here, all you have to do is ask, okay? I will never be upset with you for telling me what you need.” Meekah says, her voice low and earnest.

“Okay. I can do that.” Maya answers.

“Thank you, Maya. Are you sure you still feel up to getting some things done today? It’s okay if you need to rest.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think it would be good to have something to do, even if some of it, I’d rather not do. And I need to get new meds anyway and I might as well do that sooner rather than later, so…” Maya says shrugging.

“Okay. Maybe we can get some ice cream afterwards or do something else that’s fun to lift your spirits a little bit. How does that sound?” Meekah asks, handing Maya a tissue to blow her nose.

At her feet, Rhubarb gives a concerned meow and headbutts her leg gently.

“Yeah. That sounds nice.” Maya replies.

And now, looking at Meekah’s kind and understanding expression, Maya begins to feel like maybe things will change for the better despite everything that’s happened. She cleans her face and stands. “I’m gonna go and wash my face.” she says.

“I’ll put out some clothes for you so you don’t have to go out in that. And, I put a fresh toothbrush in your bathroom before I made breakfast.” Meekah explains.

“Thanks,” Maya says.

As she heads for the stairs to get ready for the day, she begins to feel something dangerously like hope.

[Brutal_Ink]

On 11/3/2025 at 4:10 PM, Abdladamabc said:

Really enjoying this so far. Looking forward to more!

Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!

[Brutal_Ink]

Thank you all for reading as always! This chapter explains most of the changes I'm implementing with the new worldbuilding. Kalvassa has 8-day weeks, 32-hour days, and 10-month long years for reference.

Also a brief guide to terms being used, should have started doing this at the beginning:
 

EMRD (Energy Management/Regulation Disorder):  Excessive worry and physiological anxiety responses; caan also refer to metabolic energy regulation issues (context-dependent)

SD or SSD (Sociosensory Dysfunction): Difficulty with sensory processing and social interpretation.

________________________

 

Maya picks at her fingernails, fidgeting anxiously in place. She’s already bitten her lip bloody and raw and is rapidly on her way to doing the same with her fingers, alternating between picking at her cuticles and biting them.

The NURSAID clinic looks normal. There’s some kind of show about houses showing on the holoscreen, and a small play area for kids and Littles, with games and puzzles of varying degrees of difficulty. There’s also a fish tank that’s doing little to calm her nerves.

Of course the Official Classification Exam Test Clinic sign above the reception area isn’t doing anything to help either.

“Maya, honey, it’s okay.” Meekah hands her a stress ball. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a test.”

Just a test seems a little tame to describe something that’s determining the rest of my life… Maya thinks to herself.

“I know...I can’t help it.”

“I was nervous too.” Meekah says. “It’s a big milestone, getting Classified. But think of it this way: your result was always going to happen. This just tells us what kind of support you’ll need, and give us a baseline for what to expect in the future. Knowing what to expect is good, right?”

“I guess…” Maya admits glumly, squeezing the stress ball.

“And, if you’re a Little, there are laws that prevent people from discriminating against you for it. Yes, there are some limitations, like not being able to vote, or work in direct patient care roles or dangerous jobs like the military. But, in exchange, you don’t have to worry about anything. You can try out any job you might want to do aside from those things and they legally have to accommodate you and give you a fair chance to prove you can do the job. You still get to contribute and do meaningful work, and obviously you can stay and work for BioHealth no matter what if you decide you still want to do that.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad. I don’t think I’m really cut-out for that kind of work anyway.” Maya says, more to the fish tank than to Meekah. “Will you, um, come back with me?” she adds quietly, squeezing the stress ball hard enough to blanch her knuckles.

“Of course I will. I can’t go with you for the actual Classification Exam, but I’ll waiting for you when you’re finished and I can go with you to get the results if you want.”

Maya nods.

“Maya Weston?” A nurse calls her name from a door on the other side of the room. She has graying brown hair and kind brown eyes.

Maya sucks in a breath and swallows hard. Her voice comes out trembling almost as much as her legs when she stands. “Here.” She surprises herself, reaching over to take Meekah’s hand—as much as she hates being too needy or annoying, she can’t do this alone. Maybe for a few minutes, she can believe Meekah’s words that she’s really not a burden.

Meekah’s hand squeezes hers reassuring and immediately supportive. “I’m right here, Maya. Everything’s going to be just fine, I promise.”

Maya only nods, and follows the back to an exam room after they take her vitals, height, and weight. She sits down on the exam table, the paper crinkling beneath her as Meekah sits on chair opposite her, letting go of her hand so that the nurse can move freely between them. Maya feels the absence more acutely than she’d like to admit.

“My name is Sol, and I’ll be handling the physical and fitness portion of your Classification Exam. Do you have any questions before we start?”

“Will it hurt?” Maya asks softly, in a voice that sounds much more vulnerable than she’d like to acknowledge.

“Oh, no, dear. The only pain you might feel is during the blood draw and hormone regulation injection afterwards. But those are just little pinches. The rest of the exam is just some exercise, some puzzles, and an interview.”

“Oh. Is that really all?” Maya wonders, thinking—hoping—that maybe it won’t be so bad after all.

“Yes, really. The bloodwork does most of the heavy lifting, as that tells us what markers you have and lets us check for any abnormalities that might need monitoring. That doesn’t mean we’ll find any, of course, it’s more of a just-in-case sort of thing. The rest is just to give us a baseline to work from as the changes from Metamorphosis start taking place. It helps us to make sure you’re healthy and stable throughout the whole process. And the interview just helps us get to know you so that we can make sure any extra help you might need is available to you, like therapy if you’re really struggling with something.” Sol explains.

“Okay. That doesn’t sound so bad…” Maya admits, squeezing the stress ball.

“It’s not scary at all, I promise. But first, I have to do the physical, which I’m sure you’ve done a bunch of times already, it’s just a normal exam. Have you been feeling sick at all recently? Any major life events or stresses?”

Maya looks to Meekah for a moment, before realizing that Meekah can’t really answer the question for her. Her cheeks warm a bit at the realization that part of her expected that at all.

Meekah smiles, like she understands, and gives Maya an encouraging nod.

“Not sick exactly, but I’ve been feeling pretty lousy over the past couple of days. I’ve been more tired and emotional than normal, I’m clumsier than usual and my hands have been trembling a lot...Um, I also, um, my apartment burned down a couple of days ago and I had to be rescued by firefighters…And because of that, I haven’t been able to have my EMRD meds since yesterday. ”

Sol frowns. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Maya. Have you noticed any coughing or trouble breathing since the fire? Did you have any injuries?”

Maya shakes her head. “No injuries, thankfully. I’ve had a little bit of coughing, but nothing too intense.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Maya. We’ll make sure you get some new meds before you leave today, but missing one day shouldn’t really affect much. You might have a little more trouble focusing or remembering things than with your meds, but that’s about it.” Sol explains. She places her stethoscope on Maya’s back after warming it in her hands and listens to her lungs.

The physical exam is fairly standard—and pretty boring, if Maya is being honest. Sol checks Maya’s eyes, ears, nose, throat and finds nothing out of the ordinary apart from some irritation from mild smoke inhalation that should clear up in a few days. Maya’s reflexes are fine, along with her heartbeat and breathing. Even the blood draw is uneventful—Maya doesn’t even feel the needle thanks to Meekah keeping her distracted.

All too soon, it’s time to move on to the Classification Exam itself, which fills Maya with apprehension all over again.

“Like I said, it’s just some exercise, some puzzles, and an interview. You don’t even have to take it today if you don’t want to. You don’t have to take the Classification Exam officially until you’re 25, but the changes from Chrysalis will happen regardless. Most people take it within a month or two of their first physical exam during Chrysalis, but you can wait if you want.”

Maya shakes her head. “Today is...today is fine. I don’t want it hanging over my head, and, knowing what to expect would help.”

Meekah gives Maya a proud nod.

“I should add, that if you do take the Classification Exam today and are Classified as a Little, you’ll need a Guardian. It’s not required immediately, but it does need to happen within 35 days, so you have plenty of time to get to know each other before your truly need support as Metamorphosis begins in earnest.”

“Okay. And about how long does that take?” Maya wonders. “And what should I expect?”

“The full process of Metamorphosis takes 2-3 years. You will experience many biological and mental changes to bring you into alignment with your classification, with shrinking and cognitive shifts being the most prominent. All Littles are sterile and do not experience sexual or romantic attraction.”

“I...I don’t think that will be a problem for me.” Maya says quietly, unwilling to elaborate the intricacies of her internal world to someone she’s just met. She’s never really experienced that kind of attraction to people—she can appreciate that someone is pretty or handsome, but that’s all the further it goes.

“As you probably already know, and depending on your Classification, you’ll probably need diapers, although not for quite some time. You will experience an increase in sensitivity across all of your senses, as well as a shift in emotional regulation and cognitive processing.”

“What does that mean? The ‘cognitive processing’ thing?” Maya wonders. “Are you saying I’ll lose intelligence?”

“No, not at all.” Sol clarifies immediately. “Your intelligence will stay the same. What I mean is that you’ll notice a difference in executive function and task prioritization. You’ll be focused more on the things that interest you, to the exclusion of other things that, while important, may be less engaging. You’ll have better neuroplasticity, meaning that it will be easier for you to learn new things.”

“Like forgetting the time when I’m working on a new design at work? I get hyperfocused on things sometimes.” Maya explains.

“Sort of, but not exactly. It’s not the same as with SSD. That will still happen for you occasionally, but what I mean, broadly speaking, is that you’ll experience a kind of redistribution of your executive function abilities. You’ll become more sensitive emotionally and have less stress tolerance. You’ll still be able to work mentally demanding jobs if that’s something you might want to do, you just will need more support to be successful. And the reason all of this happens is because you’ll have a Caregiver to manage those things for you, freeing you up for creative pursuits, or anything else you might want to do. Chrysalis is the process that makes you into who you were always meant to be. It’s a big change, and there will definitely be some rough patches as you go along, but that’s why we have such robust support systems and monitoring in place, so we can make things as easy for you as possible.”

“So I’d still be able to use my design skills? Or go to college if I want to?”

“Of course! You might need size accommodations or a modified courseload or schedule so you don’t get overwhelmed, but all of that is possible.” Sol continues.

“That...doesn’t sound awful.” Maya admits.

“It really isn’t. Caregivers, Neutrals, and Littles, are all valuable and important, and we all need each other. The test just tells you where you fit, and what to expect as your body changes to match your Classification. It’s a very gradual process, and there will be plenty of resources like support groups and therapy to help you along if you need any assistance.”

“Okay. What about Guardianship? How does that work?” Meekah asks, her voice thoughtful.

Maya squeezes the stress ball again, but with less force this time.

“It’s not a permanent arrangement like being adopted by a Caregiver. There are two types of Guardianship. Type A automatically converts to an adoption if both of you agree after 5-15 months. Type B can be converted to an adoption, but it requires a bit more paperwork and a court hearing before a judge to make things official. You can, if you so choose, convert to either one if you change your mind as things progress. And, obviously, both of you must consent to the Guardianship or Adoption. No one can force you into anything.” Sol continues.

“Okay. Thank you.” Meekah says.

“Of course! Maya did you have anything else you wanted to know before we start?”

“I think that’s all I have for questions for now.” Maya replies.

“Alright, well, if you think of anything else as we go, just ask. You’ll get an information book that explains in detail what to expect, and of course there are other resources you can use for information if need be. Shall we proceed with the test?” Sol asks.

Maya nods. “Yes, please.”

Meekah gives Maya a hug. “I’ll be right in the waiting room when you’re finished Maya.” She says. “Everything will be okay.”

The two separate and Maya turns to Sol, squaring her shoulders and trying to put on a brave face.

“Alright,” she says, with a confidence she doesn’t feel in the slightest. “I’m ready.”

***

The fitness portion of the exam is far less intimidating than Maya had imagined it would be. There’s a timed one-mile run, some strength exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and lifting a few weighted boxes. The boxes are increasingly heavy, but she’s allowed to opt-out as soon as the weight gets to be too much, with Sol dutifully taking notes the whole time. There’s also some balance and coordination tests, neither of which are Maya’s strong suit, but Sol never makes her feel bad about slipping.

Next are some puzzles and a general aptitude test. The puzzles are simple to start, gradually increasing in difficulty. Maya feels as though she does particularly well on these, and the aptitude test doesn’t seem terribly hard either, but she doesn’t get to see her score.

The interview portion isn’t invasive either, it consists of a personality test, a few exercises to measure stress responses, during which Maya is repeatedly redirected away from biting her fingers, and a brief interview which asks some basic questions about her background and interests.

When everything is said and done, Maya returns to the waiting room, feeling more than a little silly for being so worried about the whole thing. Sol and the other doctors were all very nice and didn’t shame her for mistakes, or even for biting her fingers when she got overwhelmed. They just gave her a small contraption to fidget with instead.

“How did it go?” Meekah asks, putting aside the magazine she’d been leafing through.

“It was good, I think.” Maya replies. “I feel silly for being scared, it really wasn’t that bad. I’m kinda nervous about getting my results, but the test wasn’t bad at all. Everyone was really nice.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, and no matter what results you get, we’ll handle them.”

“Um, about that…” Maya swallows, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her racing heart. She calls to mind how kind Meekah has been, and how often she’s reassured Maya that she’s not too much, not an inconvenience. She steels her nerves, and asks the question that’s been plaguing her since the talk with Sol in the exam room. “I don’t mean to put you on the spot or anything, but...I was wondering if…” Maya pauses, looking at the floor. “Will you be my Guardian? I know I don’t have to have one right away, but I don’t really have anyone else to ask. I don’t want to be a bother or anything, you can say no if—I shouldn’t have—I’m sorry…”

“Maya, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I’d be honored to be your guardian. You’re already living with me, so that makes the most sense for the time being anyway.”

Maya’s eyes well up with tears almost immediately. After a lifetime of being told she’s not good enough—too strange, too needy, too emotional, too much—it’s an indescribable feeling to finally be chosen. To be seen and not immediately rejected just for existing. She hugs Meekah before she’s even realized what she’s doing, and Meekah is warm and steady and gentle, rubbing Maya’s back.

“I’ve got you.” Meekah says softly. “No matter what happens from here, I’ve got you. If you decide that you’d rather have someone else be your Caregiver down the road, I understand. I’m a former D.E.E.N. operative, I’m not exactly the cuddly type, but I’m willing to learn if you’re willing to give me the chance.” Meekah says. “But I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to.”

Maya just shakes her head. She hasn’t even been Classified yet, but Meekah has already shown her such kindness and generosity that she can tell that the woman is actively looking out for her best interests and not just being nice. “I think we’ll both need to learn some new things, and learn from each other. But...I don’t wanna do this without you.” Maya admits.

“You’ll never have to, sweetheart.” Meekah says. “I promise.”

“Can we...can we do the Type A one?” Maya asks hesitantly.

“Of course we can. I don’t have a problem with that at all.” Meekah replies, giving Maya another squeeze.

Their tender moment is interrupted by Maya’s name being called again.

“Maya, your results are ready now.” Sol says softly. “Do you need a few minutes?”

“I’m okay.” Maya answers. She turns to Meekah. “Will you come with me?”

“Always.” Meekah answers, and reaches out to put a gentle hand on Maya’s back, grounding and guiding her as they follow Sol back to a more private room, with a desk and two comfortable chairs.

Maya sits down, taking Meekah’s hand nervously as Sol looks at them both.

“Are you ready for your results?” She asks.

Maya nods.

“Maya, your results are solidly in the L2 Classification range.” Sol says, sliding a rather thick book across the desk entitled Classification, Chrysalis, and You: A Helpful Guide. “The book is for you to take home, it has a lot of good information that might help to prevent anxiety or scares as things progress. In the short-term, you don’t need to worry about any issues with continence for at least the next three to five months, although you will likely notice increased urgency and may have intermittent issues with bedwetting.”

Maya frowns, but nods. “Okay. What about after that?”

“Medium to long term, the actual shrinking won’t begin for about another month, and it’s a slow process.” Sol continues softly. “The shrinking will accelerate about five months from now and continue at that rate for another five to ten months before tapering off over the next five to ten months. Your final height after Chrysalis will be between 3’2” and 3’6” tall, but that varies on an individual basis. Your facial features will soften a bit, but your body proportions will remain adult. You’ll look youthful, and you won’t have to worry about gray hairs or wrinkles very much as you age, but no one will confuse you for being a child.” Sol explains.

Maya nods. She’s seen Littles around in plenty of places and can understand what Sol means. Littles are small and some of them even prefer more whimsical or childish clothes, and their features are soft and naturally endearing, but not juvenile. Still adult, but at a smaller scale.

“Your senses will all become slightly sharper than they are now, but that means you’ll experience some issues with oversensitivity as all the wiring gets sorted out. We’ve already talked about the cognitive changes, and things will settle down as Chrysalis tapers off into the Stabilization phase later on. You’ll probably have some coordination issues and some proprioception hiccups as your size changes, but that will subside once the shrinking stops. Your fine-motor skills might be a bit less sharp, but you’ll still be able to do things like thread a needle or write neatly with a stylus, you’ll just need to concentrate a bit harder to do so.”

“I understand so far, I think.”

“Lastly is the Stabilization phase, which for you is between 20 and 30 months from now. Your brain will adjust to your new size, so you won’t have to deal with those coordination problems once that happens. You’ll have regular check-ups throughout Metamorphosis, and I’ll make you an appointment to come back for your growth regulation treatment in about two weeks, that way everything happens smoothly and safely. Any questions?”

Maya shakes her head. “Not right now. It’s just...a lot to take in.”

“That’s understandable.” Sol says. “If you have any questions, you can call the clinic, or any of the resources in the book. There are also plenty of support groups online for any day-to-day tips that might be helpful.”

“That’s good to know.” Meekah chimes in.

“The last thing we need to do is the hormone regulation treatment, which will help the intensity of some of the symptoms we talked about.” Sol explains, coming around to Maya’s chair and rolling up her sleeve. She takes a sterilizing wipe and cleans Maya’s shoulder. “Just a little pinch, and then we’re all done. You might feel a little tired, and the injection site might be a bit tender for a day or so, but there aren’t any side effects beyond that.”

The injection stings a little, but it’s not unbearable.

“You did great, Maya.” Meekah says, squeezing Maya’s hand. She turns to Sol. “If I wanted to be Maya’s Guardian, how would I go about doing that?”

“We can take care of that now if you’d like,” Sol slides a tablet across the desk. “If you could both just read and sign this form, we’ll take care of the rest. All you need to do is indicate which type you’re requesting and then sign. You’ll get some more information about things like Little-proofing your home later on, but that won’t be necessary for a while.”

“Okay. What does that entail?”

“Mostly just basic safety precautions like rounding the corners of furniture, installing soft flooring in high-traffic or play areas, making sure there are step-stools in appropriate place and making sure that dangerous appliances like the stove can’t be activated by accident.” Sol replies.

“That seems pretty straightforward.” Meekah acknowledges, reading over the form before signing it and passing the tablet to Maya.

“Thanks.” Maya answers, feeling a bit dizzy and overwhelmed by everything that’s happened in such a short period of time. First the fire, then staying in a new and unfamiliar place, and then getting Classified...it makes her head hurt just thinking about it. “Can we go?” Maya wonders.

“Of course. I’m sure you’re tired after everything.” Sol says. “You’re free to go, but please don’t hesitate to call if you have any questions or concerns.”

“We will.” Meekah replies.

“Thanks for explaining everything, and for being so nice.” Maya says as she stands, trying and failing to hold back a yawn.

“It’s no problem at all, dear. I’m glad I could help.” Sol says.

“I think shopping might have to wait until this afternoon.” Meekah observes as the two of them head back to her car. “You look about ready to drop.”

Maya yawns again. “I am pretty tired…” she admits. “Can we still get ice-cream though?”

Meekah smiles. “Of course we can.”

[Brutal_Ink]

Chapter 6

 

Maya struggles valiantly to do her share of bringing in their haul from shopping. She’d gotten an entirely new wardrobe—and Meekah had paid for it all without even batting an eye. Not without protest from Maya, of course, but Meekah had been closer to the checkout terminal and had simply paid while Maya was busy thinking about whether she really needed so many clothes at once after seeing the total. She’d also gotten a new smartband, a genuine Yotomishi one too-not a cheap knock-off. It’s sleek and comfortable with a round face and lots of useful features—though she hadn’t had time to really play with it and explore everything it could do while they were at the store. She’d been more than a little overwhelmed at the cost of it all, but Meekah hadn’t so much as batted an eye.

“Oh my goodness, something smells amazing!” Maya exclaims.

“Anna got back while we were out shopping.” Meekah explains, smiling. “I think she said something about making you cookies as a ‘welcome to the house’ sort of thing. She loves to cook, and everything she makes is delicious.”

Rhubarb meows, hurtling over to wind between Maya and Meekah’s legs and purring loudly.

“I missed you too, Rhubarb,” Maya says, smiling softly down at the kitten as she carefully continues toward the stairs.

“Were you a good kitten, or were you being a little terror as usual?” Meekah says fondly, kneeling to scratch behind the kittens ears briefly. “Anna, we’re back! How was your trip?”

“Oh it was lovely, the grandkids are getting so big! And Tasha is adjusting so nicely to being a Little. I’ll be finished in a just a bit and then I’ll come say hello to you both. The cookies should be done soon, and I want to get this roast into the slow-cooker.” Anna replies, her voice warm.

Maya says nothing, feeling a bit out-of-place and awkward as she climbs the stairs and heads into the guest room.

“I could have paid, you know.” the younger woman points out. “You’ve already done so much for me. I feel bad that you’ve invited me into your home and then paid for my clothes. I know you weren’t expecting any of this to happen, and now with you being my Guardian and everything…” Maya trails off as she takes a moment to finally set all the heavy bags down in the guest room. “I just...it seems like a lot. And I don’t want to be a burden on you.”

“Maya.” Meekah begins gently. “Those are all things I *chose* to do. You’re not being an inconvenience or a burden just because you need help with some things. You weren’t expecting any of this to happen either.”

Maya is grateful that Meekah doesn’t say anything about Maya’s family, as being excommunicated from the lightbearers is painful enough without being reminded of it. “I know, but still. It’s so much money. At least let me pay you back half…”

“I appreciate you wanting to help, Maya, really I do. But I don’t need or want your money. It’s my job to look after you now, and I would much rather you spend your money on yourself and on doing fun things rather than on necessities when I can easily handle that. If it helps, this whole house and everything in it was paid for by my pension from D.E.E.N. I don’t really need to work at all, but I’d get bored if I didn’t have something to do. The pension alone is enough to live on, and I could just live off the stock I own in the company. Orr I could even sell it if I wanted to and let someone else run the company. If you’re concerned that I’m putting myself in a difficult place financially, I promise that’s not something you need to worry about.” Meekah explains.

It doesn’t come across as condescending, but Maya is still a bit irritated at not being able to at least chip in...“Oh. Wow, I didn’t know that…” Maya admits. She pauses to start organizing her new clothes to be put away before continuing.

“I just...I want to contribute and stuff. I feel like such a freeloader and I hate it. I don’t want you to...I don’t know. I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take advantage of your kindness or anything. I don’t deserve--” Maya cuts herself off, unwilling to reveal the depth of her struggles with self-worth just yet.

“It’s not about deserving, even though you absolutely do deserve to have someone be concerned about your needs and your well-being. You deserve a safe, comfortable place to sleep, clean clothes, and to not have to worry about where your next meal is coming from.” Meekah counters. “Money is really no object for me—for us—Maya. We’re a team, especially now that I’m your Guardian. That’s not to say that it’s a good idea to be wasteful or frivolous; but I want you to have the things you want.”

Maya frowns, unable to think of a good response. “Okay...I just...I know things are gonna change a lot but I don’t want you to feel like I’m, I don’t know, useless or something. I don’t want to be a burden. I can pull my own weight, I’m not...I’m not a little Little yet.”

“I promise I don’t think of you that way at all Maya, and neither does Anna. We’re both glad to have you here.” Meekah tells her. “Needing more support as things with Chrysalis progress doesn’t make you a burden or an inconvenience either. There will be a lot of big changes, and some of them will be hard. But I knew exactly what I was signing up for when I said ‘yes’ to being your Guardian.”

“I trust you. I, uh, it’s just kind of hard to believe that I’m not a burden, I’m not used to that, but I’ll do my best.” Maya swallows nervously, afraid to put too much stock in the idea that someone might actually want her around.

“That’s all I ask. I know this is all very new for you, and I hope that with time, you’ll be able to believe me when I tell you that you’re valued, and precious, and wonderful just as you are.” Meekah replies. “I’ll let you unpack, but I’m sure Anna would love to meet you and her cookies are absolutely delicious.”

“I’ll be down as soon as I’m done—I can’t wait to try them!” Maya answers, turning her attention to sorting her clothes. Rhubarb wanders in and hops onto the bed, curling up near the pillow as Maya sorts through her new wardrobe, separating them by work clothes, non-work clothes, and pajamas. She’s gotten a lot of nice new stuff, all in fabric blends that are actually comfortable and designs for her pajamas that are cute without being overt.

“Come on Rhubarb, time to go downstairs.” Maya says and helps the kitten down off the bed. Maya follows her nose to the kitchen, where an elderly woman with tanned skin, and graying brown hair is pulling a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven.

The woman is a little shorter than Meekah, a little bit hunched over, but clearly still very mobile and active despite her age. She has kind brown eyes, Maya discovers as the woman turns around and smile warmly at her.

“Hello dear! My name is Anna, I’m Ms. Saphrin’s housekeeper, and you must be Maya. It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Meekah has told me a lot about you.”

“All good things!” Meekah assures her.

“It’s nice to meet you too, ma’am.” Maya says, feeling her cheeks warm a bit in embarrassment.

“Oh, you don’t have to call me ‘ma’am’, it makes me feel old. Just ‘Anna’ is fine, sweetheart. Would you like a cookie? These ones still need to cool, but the ones on the plate over on the island are safe to eat.” Anna says, gesturing to the large plate piled high with sweets.

Maya’s mouth immediately begins to water. She takes one and bites into it, almost overwhelmed by the warm, comforting burst of flavor and sweetness. These cookies were definitely made with love, and that makes them even more delicious.

“These are amazing!” Maya exclaims, genuinely smiling for the first time since arriving at Meekah’s house. “I could eat this whole plate!”

“I’m very glad you like them sweetheart, but let’s not spoil dinner—there will be plenty more left over for after dinner and for treats through the rest of the week.” Anna promises. “And we can always make more when these run out.”

Maya finishes her cookie, and immediately begins looking around for a broom to sweep up the crumbs she’d accidentally gotten on the floor. “Oh, I’m sorry about the mess, is there a broom I can use to clean it up?”

“Don’t worry about it, dear one. I’ll take care of it once I’m finished cooking since I’ll have to clean up before we eat anyway.” Anna explains gently.

“But I feel bad for making a mess, it’s really the least I could do to clean up after myself…” Maya protests weakly.

“It’s really not an issue, Maya. It’s my job to keep the place tidy. If you really want to help, the best thing you can do is to rest and get acclimated to being here. I’m sure Rhubarb would love some quality time—she’s forever trying to climb on the counters while I’m cooking.” Anna suggests.

Maya tries to think of a polite protest, but, as if she’d been waiting for this exact moment, Rhubarb hops up onto a stool next to the island. From there it’s a short hop onto the island, and then the kitten is padding over to the plate of cookies and sitting down, looking at the treats quizzically. She reaches out a paw, almost as if she intends to take one for herself.

Maya swoops in and scoops up the kitten, chuckling at her antics. “Rhubarb, that’s people food. You have plenty of your own treats, you goober.” She chastises the kitten gently.

Rhubarb meows indignantly, but otherwise seems completely unaffected by this, snuggling into Maya and purring.

“Oh, I see. Was this all a big stunt for attention?” Maya wonders, giving the kitten gentle scratches between the ears. “You’re a menace, Rhubarb. A cute menace. But a menace. Let’s go find you something to do that won’t get you into trouble.” She carries the gray kitten into the living room and sits down on the couch, looking around for Rhubarb’s toys. There’s a small squeaky mouse on the couch, but Rhubarb doesn’t seem very interested in it. Instead, Rhubarb curls up in Maya’s lap and purrs.

The couch is more comfortable than Maya’s old bed by far. It has deep cushions and is very soft. It’s a deep, rich black color and is made of leather, but it isn’t sticky or cold like some of the couches she’s sat on in her life. It’s almost too comfortable, another reminder just how different Meekah’s house is from the world that Maya knows from before the fire.

The young woman frowns thoughtfully, thinking of how cleanly her life has been split into before and after, with the fire being the terrible, traumatizing catalyst that separates the two.

“The holoscreen remote is on the book table in front of the couch, if you want to watch something.” Meekah says helpfully, breaking Maya out of her thoughts—which, honestly, is probably for the best.

“I, um...I don’t really know what to watch. I wasn’t allowed to watch a lot of stuff growing up, and I didn’t have much time for it before now. I usually just watch nature stuff. Or, like, the Innovation Channel. Or anything educational, really.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.” Meekah says as she enters the room and sits next to Maya on the couch. “The remote has voice prompt, so you can tell it what you want to watch, and Ginger can create a profile for you that will recommend channels you might like, as well as Little-appropriate shows and movies when the time for that comes.”

“Do I have to push a button or something to do voice-mode? I know for my watch I just say ‘Hey, Stat’ and then I can talk.” Maya wonders.

“There’s a button on the side you can press and a little blue light will come on near the top to say it’s listening. Or, you can ask Ginger for help finding something and she can keep track of the things you like to compile a list of shows and channels you might like over time. And, of course, once you get to know the channels, you can just type it in manually too.” Meekah explains, demonstrating each of the functions.

Maya nods, petting Rhubarb absently. “Okay. Um, Ginger?”

“I’m listening, how can I help?” Ginger’s pleasant voice emanates from a hidden speaker.

“Could you find me a nature documentary to watch on the holoscreen please? I’m not super-picky about the topic.” Maya requests.

“Of course! Just a moment...here’s one I think you’ll enjoy. Let me know if you want to watch something else, and if you like it, I can save this channel to a profile for you?”

Maya nods, already engrossed in the undersea world being presented. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll get started on that in the background while you watch, and the next time you want to watch something, I’ll have a list of shows ready to go; just for you! If you need anything in the meantime, just give me a shout.” Ginger replies.

Maya is completely enraptured by the documentary on whales, finding herself slowly drifting off, despite her best efforts to stay awake. She’s more exhausted than she’d realized now that she’s sitting, and the peaceful sounds of the ocean and the narrator’s voice are too relaxing to resist.

***

Maya coughs, smoke filling her lungs, eyes streaming with tears. There’s so much smoke, and it’s so hot. It’s too hot. Sweat pours in rivulets down her face and body.

“Help!” Maya calls out weakly, overtaken by another coughing fit. Flames are licking under the door. “Someone please, help!”

“Maya, sweetheart, wake up! It’s just a dream, you’re safe. It’s okay.” Meekah is saying softly.

Maya sits bolt upright, disoriented and confused as she clings to Meekah tightly, breathing heavily and shaking. “I’m sorry…” She says automatically, not sure what she’s even apologizing for.

“Shh.” Meekah says gently, stroking her hair with gentle fingers while her other hand rubs Maya’s back. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Maya. It was just a bad dream, you’re okay. You’re safe, I promise. You’re at my house, remember?”

Maya nods, too shaken to speak yet, shaking and sweating and fighting back more tears. “I’m sorry.” Maya murmurs, pulling back slightly from Meekah. “I’m such a mess.”

“You’re allowed to have feelings, Maya. You’ve been through a lot in a very short period of time. It’s okay to not be okay.”

“I know that, I just…” Maya trails off.

“You’re not a burden or an inconvenience, Maya. Even on rough days, even when things are hard. You’re never too much. I promise. I know that might be hard to believe right now, but I hope with time, you’ll be able to believe me when I tell you that.” Meekah says warmly.

Maya sniffles. “Thanks.” She can smell dinner as she attempts to pull herself together, and her stomach rumbles loudly. Meekah smiles at her, and she can feel her face warming up.

“I’m hungry too. Why don’t we go and eat, okay? That roast Anna made smells amazing.”

“Okay,” Maya replies, shifting off of the couch and following Meekah to the kitchen.

The roast Anna has prepared is absolutely delicious, Maya discovers once they’ve sat down and tucked in to dinner. It’s hearty and filling, full of flavor and immensely satisfying. Maya can’t remember the last time she’d eaten something so wonderful, and it almost brings a tear to her eyes—after two years of eating whatever ultra-processed things she could afford, this is amazing.

“This is so good!” Maya exclaims.

Anna smiles warmly. Her eyes wrinkling at the corners. “I’m glad you think so dear one, it’s an old family recipe. There’s plenty more if you’re still hungry after that too, but make sure to leave some room for dessert.”

“Dessert?” Maya blinks. Dessert is almost a foreign concept to her, she can’t remember the last time she had enough surplus of anything to have seconds, let alone dessert…

“Yes, sweetheart. I made Ìlanberry pie, and there’s even some ice cream to put on top.”

“It’s delicious.” Meekah adds. “You haven’t made that in a while.”

“That’s true, but it’s a special occasion, welcoming someone new to the house! And, sometimes, when life is uncertain, there’s nothing better than some comfort food to make things a bit better.” Anna answers, giving Maya a gentle, knowing look.

Maya smiles back. “Thank you,” she says softly. She takes another bite of the roast, feeling warm and content.

She wonders idly if the warmth in her chest is first hint at belonging beginning to take root. It’s a dangerous thought—she hasn’t done anything to really earn that yet—but maybe, with time, if she proves she’s worth it…

Maybe she could belong somewhere after all.

____________________
I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! It's a bit of a slow burn, but we'll get to the good stuff in time. Please let me know what you think if you can spare a moment :)

[Jayme]

5 hours ago, Brutal_Ink said:

Maybe she could belong somewhere after all.

Maya has a lot of trauma to work through.... Hopefully a therapist will be involved in her future to help her heal?

[Brutal_Ink]

On 11/19/2025 at 2:32 AM, Jayme said:

Maya has a lot of trauma to work through.... Hopefully a therapist will be involved in her future to help her heal?

That's definitely in the works for Maya, although it will be a bit later in the story. Thanks so much for reading!

[BabySofia]

I've had this open since you started it, but today is the first day I've felt awake enough to read it and feel like I was doing your writing justice with my focus level! I really like how you've matured the setting here. This is a great take on this! I particularly like the idea that the Little will shrink! It makes so much more sense for care than someone still staying the same size to me. Adult proportions staying the same also makes sense to me too in this case. Her family were a bunch of monsters, and I'm curious what they will think when there's an inevitable crossing of paths at this rate? Either way, great start to this work - and I hope to read more soon! 🙂

[Brutal_Ink]

Thanks so much for the feedback and support everyone! I know we're off to a bit of a slow start, but I promise the good parts are coming, it's just necessary to establish some things first. On with the show!
_____________

Chapter 7

 

>>Hey Maya, just heard about the fire. I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you, but I’m glad you got out safely at least! If there’s anything you need, just let me know! I know you’re probably going a bit nuts worrying about things here at the lab, but I made sure no one messed with any of your stuff, and your station is exactly how you left it. If we need any help with anything, I’ll shoot you a message on the portal, but for now, just worry about resting and getting back on your feet. Miss you!

Maya smiles at the message from Sydney as she puts the last few shirts into the guest room closet—freshly starched and ironed for work.

>Hi Sydney! Director Saphrin is letting me stay with her for the time being, which is super nice of her. I’m definitely going a little nuts, and I can’t wait to get back to work. I feel kinda useless just loafing around. Thanks for checking in on me, I miss you too!

Sydney’s response is almost instant.

>>Sweetie, you just survived a fire. You’re entitled to some loafing around after something like that, just like anyone else would be. Please at least try to chill and take it easy for a few days? Like, at least ‘til Immorn.

Maya frowns.

>Director Saphrin says I have to wait at least that long I don’t like having nothing to do. Makes me feel like I’m taking advantage.

>>I think you’re the only person I know who would feel like they’re taking advantage of someone after you lost everything in a fire. It’s okay to need help and to actually LET people help you. Work will be here when you’re ready, and there’s only one you, so you have to make sure to take care of yourself, okay?

>That’s what Director Saphrin says too. No fair, you guys are ganging up on me

>>Maybe she’s right, kiddo. Get some rest and I’ll see you on Immorn. You can survive two more days of rest and relaxation. I gotta go for now, but I’ll check on you later, okay?

>Okay talk to you later, have a good day!

Maya dismisses the chat interface and flops back on the bed. Before she can dwell too much on her discomfort with not having anything productive to do, Rhubarb hops up onto the bed, meowing insistently.

“Hi, Rhubarb,” Maya says, smiling softly as she strokes the kitten’s soft fur. “I bet you’re pretty bored too, huh?”

As if in response, Rhubarb meows again and makes herself cozy next to Maya.

Maya scratches Rhubarb behind the ears before gently getting up and heading downstairs to the living room. Rhubarb meows in protest, then follows after her. Maya’s eyes immediately lock onto the dishes in the sink and she immediately wanders over and begins scrubbing. She knows that Meekah has a dishwasher, but it makes her feel useful to be able to do something productive. She’s just managed to finish scrubbing all the dishes and putting them into the drying rack when she hears footsteps behind her.

“What are you doing, dear one?” Anna’s voice is soft.

“Just trying to be helpful...I was bored.” Maya confesses, feeling her cheeks warm a bit. She feels almost like she’s been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, since both Meekah and Anna have told her to rest and relax.

But, I can’t earn my place her by just sitting on the couch all day...

“Thank you Maya.” Anna says. “I appreciate the help. I know resting and recovering isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but that’s how you’ll be able to hit the ground running when you go back to work, right?”

Maya nods reluctantly.

“I’m glad you understand. Why don’t you leave the cleaning to me from now on, okay? It is my job, after all.” Anna says, firmly but not unkindly.

“I understand,” Maya says, swallowing hard. It’s more upsetting than it really should be to have even this small way to help taken from her—even though she does understand that it’s Anna’s actual job…

Maya sniffles. Her head throbs, and the lights in the kitchen seems strangely too bright. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so emotional…”

“You don’t have to apologize for having feelings, Maya. It’s only human, and you’re going through a lot on top of what you’ve already suffered getting to this point.” Anna says in a calm voice. “Why don’t you find something to watch on the holoscreen and I’ll make you some tea, does that sound good?”

Maya nods, grateful to have some kind of direction. She heads into the living room and has Ginger pick out a show for her to watch, barely even registering when Meekah sits down on the couch next to her midway through the documentary.

“Anna says it’s been a rough morning.” Meekah says calmly. “Are you okay?”

“I…” Maya frowns. “I feel so useless...I know I’m supposed to be recovering and everything, but I’m going crazy without something to do. I don’t just want to sit here and be a drain on your resources...I can help!” Maya insists, louder than she means to.

“I know you can. And we’ve been over this Maya, you’re not a burden. Not in any way. I know you want to help, and I’m sure we can find a way for you to be able to pitch in if it means that much to you. My main concern is that I don’t want you letting your desire to be productive to consume all your free time and keep you from actually resting. Does that sound like a fair concern to you? I think it’s a reasonable one, to be perfectly honest; you have a tendency to push yourself a little too hard sometimes.” Meekah counters.

“I…” Maya huffs, folding her arms. “I see your point. But I can handle it. I know a lot is changing and will continue to change. But I’m not...I’m not helpless yet. I can still contribute.”

Meekah sighs. “Even after Chrysalis, you won’t be completely helpless. You’ll still be able to do some things for yourself. If it’s really that important to you, we can come up with some minor chores for you to do, would that be okay?”

Maya nods. “That would be nice. I wouldn’t feel so much like I’m taking advantage that way.”

Meekah frowns, but doesn’t comment on Maya’s response. “Okay. It’s only on the condition that it doesn’t become something that keeps you from having a balance between responsibility and time to relax and play, okay? All work and no play isn’t good for you, or anyone else. We all need to have downtime, even when we feel we haven’t exactly earned it. Fair?”

“That’s fair I guess. What did you have in mind?”

“How about we keep it simple for now. You can make your bed each morning and keep your room tidy. And, you can make sure that Rhubarb has food and water if her dishes are empty; I can show you where the kibble is if you don’t know. Does that sound okay to start with?”

Maya beams. “Yes! Thank you for letting me help!”

Meekah smiles back and draws Maya into a warm hug. “You’re welcome. Why don’t I show you where we keep Rhubarb’s treats and food, that way you’re prepared?”

“I’d like that.” Maya replies.

Rhubarb meows insistently at the mention of food, winding around Maya’s legs and purring.

Maya follows along as Meekah leads the way to the pantry, where Rhubarb’s kibble and treats are kept. She walks Maya through how much food to give Rhubarb at a time, as well as how many treats the kitten is allowed in a day. She also showss Maya how to take care of Rhubarb’s litter box, although she also makes it clear that she’s more than happy to handle emptying it.

“I can do it!” Maya insists, grateful to have something productive to do, however small it may be. At leas this way she can show her appreciation and contribute.

“I know you can, sweetheart. Why don’t you play with Rhubarb for a bit while I make a few calls. Do you still feel up to heading back to work on Immorn?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m not even coughing anymore!” Maya points out emphatically.

“That’s wonderful, but it’s okay if you need more time. I won’t push you to stay home if you’re sure you’re alright. But, if it ends up being too much and you need a break or want to head home early for a few days, that’s no problem either.” Meekah replies, her voice calm and even.

“Okay. That sounds fair.” Maya responds, already determined to push through whatever comes her way. She has to prove that she deserves her place, not just at her job, but in Meekah’s home too.

Failure isn’t an option.

***

Maya awakens on Immorn full of nervous energy and urgently needing the restroom. She bolts out of bed in a rush, making it just in time, with Rhubarb yowling indignantly at being nearly flung off the bed in Maya’s haste.

Maya frowns. She can’t remember the last time she’d woken up having to go so badly and she hopes desperately that the ‘nighttime issues’ Doctor Sol had spoken of a few days ago are still a long way off.

She brushes her teeth and puts it out of her mind, hurrying through her routine of getting dressed and making herself presentable—it feels strange to do it in a new place, but she manages. Maya tames her hair and gets dressed in actual office clothes, which is a strange feeling. They’re stiffer, scratchier and considerably less comfortable than what she normally wears to work, especially the stiff, pinchy shoes, but hopefully it means she’ll fit in a bit better.

Maya takes a deep breath, trying to calm her anxiety about her first day back at work, and only then remembers to take her medication. She heads downstairs with Rhubarb at her heels to make sure Rhubarb has food and water and a clean litterbox. Maya doesn’t feel much like eating, her stomach is an anxious knot, but she’s determined to at least show appreciation for Anna’s hard work on the breakfast spread by having a few bites if nothing else.

Meekah is already taking her plate to the dishwasher when Maya arrives in the kitchen.

“Sorry I’m late for breakfast, I don’t mean to hold you up or anything…” Maya says softly.

“You’re not holding anything up at all sweetheart.” Meekah replies almost immediately. “I’m just an early riser. We have plenty of time before we need to go anywhere.”

Maya checks her smartband to see that Meekah is right, but frowns at the thought of not being in-step with Meekah and Anna’s routines.

“It’s quite alright dear one.” Anna says. “I’ve been trying to get Miss Saphrin to slow down and enjoy life a bit more, and maybe you can help with that. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your food instead of inhaling it.” she gives Meekah a pointed look.

“I eat fast, it’s just a habit.” Meekah answers, and Maya gets the impression that this isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation.

“Be that as it may, the point still stands. Now, Maya, I’m sure you’re hungry too, why don’t you have a seat and I’ll fix you a plate.” Anna counters. “It’s alright if you don’t feel like eating much, nerves make me lose my appetite too sometimes.”

Am I that obvious? Maya wonders, frowning. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be a handful or anything. I’ll be alright.”

“Maya.” Meekah says, gently but firmly. “You’re not being a handful. I know you haven’t had the best experience at work lately, and anyone would be nervous about returning to an environment like that. If anyone gives you any trouble, you tell me immediately, okay? I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior from anyone, least of all toward you.”

“Okay...thank you for looking out for me.” Maya says quietly as she sits down to a plate of scrambled eggs.

“It’s my job to take care of you sweetheart. And you don’t have to thank me for doing it—you deserve to feel safe at work.”

“I know, I just...I want you to know I appreciate it is all. I know I can be, um, a lot sometimes.” Maya admits, picking at her food absently.

Meekah presses a kiss to Maya’s forehead, something she’s never done before and something that causes a surge of emotion that has Maya in a flood of tears before she even realizes what’s happening. She feels simultaneously like a burden and like she’s never been more loved in all her life.

It’s overwhelming.

“It’s alright.” Meekah says. “I’ve got you.”

 

***

“If you need a break, just ping me on the portal or with your smartband and I’ll make sure you get some downtime. If I ask for you for something, no one will question it—Janit is back now, but it will only be for a few days. We’re finishing up the audit now and we have enough information to fire and prosecute her, but we need to make sure the charges will stick so we just need a few more days to make sure everything is done properly.” Meekah explains.

“Okay. I can handle that.” Maya answers, though really, she has no intention of bothering Meekah with anything if it can at all be helped.

“I’m serious, Maya.” Meekah reiterates, almost as if she can read Maya’s mind. “It’s my job to make sure that you’re safe at work and that people are treating you with respect—and that’s doubly true as your Guardian. You won’t be bothering me at all if something comes up—I have nothing urgent on my schedule and even if I did, you come first, that’s non-negotiable.”

Maya sighs. “Fine. If something comes up, I’ll tell you.”

Meekah looks unconvinced.

“I promise.” Maya adds, with a sincerity that surprises even her. “I’m sure everything will be okay though.” Maya forces a smile. “It’ll be nice to get back to work. And it’ll be good to see Sydney again, too.”

Meekah smiles. “Alright, Maya. I’m just a message away if you need anything, and I’ll check in on you at lunch just to see how things are going. Have a wonderful day sweetheart.”

Maya smiles. “You too.” She answers, and the two of them part ways, Meekah heading to her office, and Maya heading to the lab.

For once, Maya thinks, I actually have a good feeling about this.

[BabySofia]

49 minutes ago, Brutal_Ink said:

For once, Maya thinks, I actually have a good feeling about this.

I hope she didn't just jinx things! Appreciate the update! Looking forward to more soon I hope! 🙂

[Dirkimaus]

pleas more

[Brutal_Ink]

Chapter 8

Maya falls back into her workflow as easily as breathing. She hadn’t come back to a disaster as she’d feared—Sydney had done a fantastic job of keeping anyone from making any alterations to Maya’s favorite projects, and the overall feedback for the department during Maya’s absences has been positive. Over the next month, she’s able to get back into her normal rhythm. There are still some snide comments, rude remarks, or dirty looks thrown her way, but it’s at least bearable now.

Mostly.

Brianné, Janit’s replacement, seems to dislike Maya almost as much as Janit had. But, fortunately, she doesn’t need to deal with HR on a regular basis, and Meekah’s been watching the entire department like a hawk ever since the Janit fiasco. As it turned out, several other lab employees, including Sydney had been underpaid for quite some time.

As far as Maya is aware, Janit was found guilty of embezzlement and a bunch of auxiliary charges—she’ll never work in HR again, and will need to pay restitution to both BioHealth and to all the employees who were affected by her manipulating payroll, so Maya, Sydney, and several other lower-level employees will have some extra Coin to look forward to in the near future.

That’s good enough for me, Maya thinks before turning back to her work.

Maya is laser-focused, refining a design for some winter boots, doing her best to strike the perfect balance between warm and flexible. No one wants to end up face-down in the snow because their boots are too stiff and clunky. She continues editing to make the laces a bit thicker and easier to grip with gloves on, but the intricate details are a bit tougher to manage with her shaking hands. Maya sighs in frustration.

“Time for a break? You’re looking pretty squirmy over there...” Sydney asks, in a tone that suggests she’s telling rather than asking.

“In a minute.” Maya says absently, putting the finishing touches on the file before saving her work. “Okay, ready when you are, Syd.” Maya stands up and is immediately aware that she urgently needs the restroom—and it’s rapidly becoming an emergency. She tries, and fails, to hide an uncomfortable squirm, biting her lip when she realizes just how urgent her need is, bladder throbbing dangerously.

Where did that come from? I was fine a minute ago! Another throb, more insistent, bordering on outright painful. Uh-oh…

“You okay?” Sydney asks, her hand gentle across Maya’s back.

“Yeah,” Maya replies quickly, “just didn’t realize I needed to pee until now. Guess I got too absorbed in my work.”

Sydney gives her a skeptical look. “Okay, well, let’s head there before we eat. Are you feeling okay?” She pauses to feel Maya’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You seem to be ‘getting absorbed’ a lot lately, sweetie. Director Saphrin mentioned that too.”

“Nuh-uh, it only happens sometimes.” Maya counters. She blinks, processing what Sydney has just said. “Wait. You two talk? About me? When did that start being a thing?”

Sydney laughs. “Pretty much since you told me she was your Guardian, hon. She can’t always be around to see what’s going on with you or what you might be struggling with sometimes at work, so I’ve been keeping her in the loop.”

Maya frowns. “That doesn’t seem very fair. You’re tattling on me.” She folds her arms.

“I’m not tattling.” Sydney corrects. “We both care about you and want you to be comfortable. This way, we can make adjustments as things go, to keep up with any changes that might make things a bit trickier for you. It will help to keep stress manageable while lots of other changes are happening—the last thing you need right now is more stress.”

“I can handle it. Just ‘cause I’m a Little doesn’t mean I’m helpless or incapable or, dumb.” My protests, her hands drifting to her hips without her really meaning to. Sure, there’d been a few, very minor accidents over the past couple of weeks, but that could happen to anyone. And Sydney—thankfully—doesn’t know about Maya’s worsening, and by now more-than-intermittent nighttime issues…

But, no need to give anymore ammunition to Sydney than she already has, considering that she and Meekah are, apparently, in cahoots.

“I know you can. No one is saying you’re any of those things at all, Maya. But even if things haven’t gotten to the point where you need big adjustments yet, keeping stress down is still a good thing.”

“I don’t need your help! I didn’t ask for it and I can do things myself! I’m not a baby!” Maya’s face is awash with tears before she’s even really registered that she’s crying. “This is so fucking—” Maya is cut off by a horrible spasm from her bladder, followed by a warm, wet sensation spreading down her legs.

Oh no…

“Oh, sweetheart…” Sydney says gently. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Maya doesn’t resist being pulled into a hug. She feels warm and safe, but above all embarrassed and ashamed. Sydney’s hold on her is the only thing preventing a complete breakdown.

“It’s just an accident. No big deal. Come on, I’ll help you get cleaned up, good as new.” Sydney shrugs out of her jacket, tying it around Maya’s waist to preserve what’s left of her dignity. Her hand is firm and guiding between Maya’s shoulder blades, a bit larger and warmer than Maya remembers it being before.

The trip to the bathroom is a complete blur. Maya is crying hard enough that she makes herself retch, and for an awful, horrible moment, she’s afraid she’ll be sick all over her shoes. She’s stumbling and tripping over her own feet, her anxiety making her already-troublesome coordination issues even worse. Sydney’s saying something into her smartwatch, but it’s all distorted, almost like it’s coming from far away and underwater at the same time; Maya can’t make out what’s being said.

Sydney helps her to sit on the closed toilet lid, but Maya pushes her hands away when Sydney moves to help her out of her wet clothes. This feels too intimate for Sydney to be helping with, but Maya makes no move to undress herself.

“Meekah…” Maya manages, sniffling.

“Okay, hon, she’s on her way right now; I’ll wait right here with you until she gets here, okay? We’re gonna get you all fixed up in no time.” Sydney says, brushing some stray hairs away from Maya’s face.

Maya only nods. She sits on the closed toilet lid, barely managing to untie her shoes and take off her gross, wet socks because of how badly her hands are shaking. The lights in the bathroom are too bright, the smell of the soap and bleach and air-freshener too overpowering to be anything other than nauseating.

“‘M gonna throw up…” Maya says miserably.

Sydney holds her hair back as Maya retches again, harsh and violent, but nothing comes up.

The dry-heaving is worse than actually throwing up, Maya realizes, only crying harder when the violent stomach contractions cause her to hit her head on the rim of the toilet as her coordination fails her. She turns away, dizzy and in pain, although the nausea has begun to subside.

“I’ll leave you two be, then. I hope you feel better soon, Maya.” Sydney says softly, and excuses herself as Meekah takes her place next to Maya.

“Oh, little one…” Meekah’s voice is instantly soothing and almost unbearably gentle. “You’re having a tough day, aren’t you?”

Maya nods, reaching for Meekah as if on autopilot. “‘M sorry...I didn’t mean to…”

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for little one. Accidents happen, it’s not a big deal.” Meekah gently places the back of her hand on Maya’s forehead. “You don’t feel warm…”

“I’m not sick...I just got really worked up after...you know. I’m really sorry.” Maya says pitifully.

“Shh. Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. Dr. Sol said these things would happen, didn’t she?”

“Not like this. This wasn’t supposed to happen for another few months still!” Maya protests. It’s not fair!

“Did you know you needed to go?” Meekah asks. “I’m not asking that as a trick question, and I won’t be upset with you either way. But it’s important.”

“Yeah...I just waited too long. I…” Maya feels her cheeks warming in embarrassment as she replays the events that led up to this in her head. “I kinda got into an argument with Sydney, and then I had an accident. We were on our way here when it happened. I guess I just got too distracted from being so worked up.”

“Sydney says you’ve been getting absorbed into your work a lot lately, sweetheart. I think it’s wonderful that you’re so focused and dedicated to doing a good job, but your needs and health always come first, okay? There’s nothing we’re doing here that’s so urgent that there isn’t time for bathroom breaks. And, if anyone gives you any trouble about excusing yourself from a meeting or something like that, they can take it up with me.” Meekah explains.

“Okay…” Maya answers quietly.

“Here’s what’s going to happen now. We’re going to get you cleaned up—I’ve been keeping a change of clothes in my office for you in case something like this happened and I brought it down here with me. And after that, we’re going to go home for the day and rest. And we’ll also need to talk about taking some...precautions going forward.” Meekah reaches just outside the stall and retrieves a small bag, which she opens, taking out a travel-sized pack of wipes and a change of clothes for Maya.

Maya just blinks, feeling overwhelmed and completely off-kilter. She makes no move to take the wipes from Meekah, sniffling. “I wanna stay.”

“I know you do, honey, but you’re in no shape to finish out the day right now. I’m not taking work away from you, I’m saying we need to recognize when things are too much and take a break instead of trying to power through and making things more difficult than they need be.”

“But—” Maya protests, her voice quiet and weak.

Meekah gently brushes some stray hairs out of Maya’s face. “No more ‘buts’ sweetheart. This is what’s happening right now. You don’t have to be happy about it, but this is what needs to be done right now. Here. Let me help, okay? It’ll be faster and then we can get going.” Meekah suggests—although really, it isn’t a suggestion at all. She is quick and efficient in helping Maya get cleaned up and changed into fresh clothes. She packs Maya’s wet clothes away in a sealed bag, like this is just a normal Esday, and not the most humiliating experience that Maya’s ever had at work.

Maya bites her lip hard enough that she can taste blood as she washes her hands beside Meekah. Sydney probably thinks I’m a huge baby...I’ll never be able to show my face here again...Ashes, things were actually going well for once…

“Come on sweetheart,” Meekah says, reaching out to take Maya’s hand before her fingers can meet the same fate as her lower lip. “Let’s go home.”

***

“You want me to what? No way!” Maya’s voice is entirely too loud for being indoors, but Meekah doesn’t seem mad at her for her lack of control. “I am not wearing those!”

The pull-on is cute without being overtly babyish or infantile, with a subtle floral pattern that looks cozy without drawing attention to itself. It looks strikingly familiar, and that’s when Maya realizes, with a bitter chuckle, that this is one of her designs.

“You don’t need to wear them all the time, Maya. Just at night and at work, for just in case.” Meekah says, her voice gentle, but firm.

“I don’t need them! It was just an accident!” Maya protests, folding her arms.

“I know, sweetheart. That’s exactly what they’re for—just in case of accidents. You don’t want a repeat of today, right? I know you didn’t mean for that to happen, but that’s my point. If you don’t need them, you can just use the bathroom like normal and no one will ever even know you have it on—you designed them to be extra discreet, after all. And, if something does happen, you don’t have to worry about being embarrassed, and getting cleaned up won’t be a big production. You just change into a dry pull-on and go about your day.” Meekah counters, still gentle, but not budging in the slightest.

“I’m not a baby!” Maya insists. “I can handle things on my own. This is so unnecessary, I’m not wearing them.”

“Maya.” Meekah’s voice gains a stern edge that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “I understand that you’re not happy about it, but it’s not up for discussion. This is what’s happening, and it is for your own well-being. What would you have done if Sydney hadn’t been there to help you today? You were a complete mess—which is not at all your fault, I know it was stressful and embarrassing to have that happen. I’m sure that yes, eventually, you would have been able to pull yourself together to call me and ask for help, but what about the meantime—everyone else in the lab would have seen, and that would have been much worse, right?”

“Yeah…” Maya admits grudgingly. “I guess so.”

“Thank you for understanding. Do you want help putting it on in the morning, or would you rather handle it yourself?”

“I can do it.” Maya answers, frowning. “I don’t like this at all.”

“I know you don’t. But I’m proud of you for being responsible, even if it’s not something you’re thrilled about doing. Would ice cream help you feel better?”

“I guess...with extra sprinkles?”

“Of course sweetheart.”

[Disk]

Been looking forward to a new chapter of this

[Brutal_Ink]

Chapter 9

The feeling of the pull-on isn’t bad exactly. It’s comfortable and soft and unobtrusive texture make it easy to ignore that she’s wearing it—at least some of the time. It’s still a profoundly different sensation from wearing normal underwear, and because of that it’s a little distracting. Maya’s other clothes feel oddly stiff and scratchy in comparison, which is strange because almost all of her new clothes have this fabric blend and it hasn’t bothered her at all until now.

At least I know my design instincts were right...the blend of fabrics doesn’t snag on clothes and create a more pronounced outline than necessary, and while I can’t speak to the absorbency—and hopefully won’t need to—no one has said anything yet...Maybe Meekah was right and I’m worrying too much… Maya thinks to herself, frowning.

The lab is too bright today, the scent of chemicals and various fabric blends overwhelming instead of familiar. Her hands are especially shaky, although she can’t tell if that’s because she barely got any sleep due to nightmares last night, or because she didn’t eat anything for breakfast due to being nauseous, which still hasn’t subsided completely. The normal sounds of operating equipment and the clinking of various vials and beakers is only making Maya’s headache worse. Her bladder twinges periodically, though not enough for her to tell if she actually needs to go or if her anxiety is just making her think so.

She’s at the very limit of what she can take as far as sensory input, and she’s so exhausted that the focus that normally comes naturally to her requires an almost superhuman effort today. Maya is barely holding together, but determined not to give anyone a reason to think she can’t handle her job. Thankfully, no one has brought up the incident from yesterday, although there have been plenty of less-than-friendly looks and hushed comments being made when people think she doesn’t notice. The look Sydney gave her when she first arrived makes her think that she either hadn’t done a good job covering up the dark circles under her eyes or that she looks a lot more worn-out than she’d imagined.

It makes everything so much more upsetting—she’d finally been getting a bit of respect and professionalism, only to have it all called into question by, well, something that wasn’t entirely her fault. Jenkins has been nothing less than immaculately professional, collaborating and forwarding designs to production once they get final approval like he always does. He even compliments Maya’s work, which is a little ray of sunshine in an otherwise dour day. And of course, Sydney would never make fun of her anyway.

“Are you okay?” Sydney’s voice is gentle, and obviously concerned. “You look like you could use a break.”

It’s okay, she doesn’t know you’re in a pull-on. I’m sure she’s just trying to be nice, but I really am not in the mood to be coddled. I want to either be left alone or to go home. I don’t feel good at all, and I don’t want to go home, because that makes me look weak, and I don’t need people talking behind my back any more than they do already. And, I’m especially not gonna run to Meekah every time someone is mean to me, she has bigger things to worry about and doesn’t need me bothering her...Maya thinks.

What she says however, comes out petulant and bratty, a far cry from the professional tone she’d been hoping for. “I’m fine! Will you please just leave me alone? Es’ sakes, I don’t need everyone breathing down my neck all the time!”

Maya’s ears are ringing and she’s out of breath. Her heart is pounding in her chest, and it’s only as it calms that she realizes the lab has gone absolutely silent.

“Maya, relax. If you want to be left alone that’s fine; but there’s no need to yell. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, since you seemed tense.” Sydney’s voice carries an undercurrent of hurt and something else Maya can’t quite name.

“I’m fine.” Maya snaps.

Sydney steps closer to Maya, her voice low and carrying an authority that Maya’s never heard her speak with before. “Maya. That’s enough. We’re taking a break, because obviously you’re a little overwhelmed right now. I understand that you’re upset, but I’ll thank you to mind your attitude in the future. You’re not being very respectful or nice right now, and I will absolutely get Meekah if I have to.”

Maya’s mouth drops open without her permission. “What? But that’s not fair…”

“It is absolutely fair. What isn’t fair is expecting coworkers to put up with a whiny, bratty attitude because you’re too proud to admit you need a little break. I know you’re struggling, and I know you’ve been through a lot in the past while. I want to help you however I can, but I don’t appreciate being snapped at because you’re cranky, and neither does anyone else.” Sydney says quietly, and pulls Maya into a hug.

Hot tears roll down Maya’s cheeks. “’M sorry Sydney.” she says quietly, sniffling.

“I know you are sweetheart. Let’s go have a bathroom break, and a snack and we’ll see how you’re feeling after that. Sound good?”

Maya can only nod, too tired and embarrassed from crying in front of everyone after such an outburst to speak.

“I thought so.” Sydney says softly, almost as though she doesn’t expect an answer from Maya anyway. She guides Maya out of the lab with a gentle hand between her shoulder blades. The two of them stop outside the restroom. “I’ll wait right here for you kiddo.”

“You’re not coming?” Maya asks, puzzled.

Sydney blinks, equally puzzled for a reason that becomes immediately obvious. “Do you, um, need me to come with you? I don’t have to go, pumpkin, I was just saying that so you weren’t put in an awkward spot.”

“Oh,” Maya’s cheeks warm and she feels a bit silly for not realizing that until now. “No, I’m okay. I’ll be right back.”

Maya is pleased to find that her pull-on is still dry, thankfully, and she quickly takes care of business. Maya frowns at the realization that if Sydney hadn’t reminded her to go, there’s a very real possibility that there would have been another accident—her need had turned out to be much greater than what her body was telling her.

She sighs.

It hardly seems fair that all of these changes are happening to her while everyone else gets to be normal. Maya knows deep down that this isn’t really true and that there are plenty of other people in the world going through Chrysalis just like her right at this very moment.

Still, she doesn’t personally know any of them, which makes everything seem even more isolating.

Maya washes her hands and exits the restroom and is surprised to see Meekah waiting with Sydney. Maya’s heart drops into her stomach and she gets a very distinct I’m in trouble feeling, even though Meekah doesn’t look upset in the slightest.

“Oh, hi Director Saphrin...did you need my help with something?” Maya asks.

“No, Maya, I’m here because it’s lunchtime and I know you’ve been having a tough day. I thought maybe we could eat together and you can decompress a little.” Meekah replies.

Maya glares at Sydney. You told?!

Sydney shrugs. I wouldn’t call it that. Just keeping her in the loop. She deserves that much, and you obviously need some downtime.

Maya only pouts in response. I wasn’t that bad…

Sydney just raises an eyebrow and smirks.

Maya sighs and pouts harder.

“That sounds nice, I guess. I have some things I’d like to get done before I take a break though…”

“No you don’t.” Sydney points out, and looks to Meekah. “We were just wrapping up and about to take our lunch break anyway.”

“Traitor.” Maya mutters.

“Your work will still be there after lunch Maya, and I’m sure we can all agree that we work better on a full stomach.” Meekah replies easily. “Why don’t you come up to my office and we can eat there, there’s a project I’d like your specific insight on.”

“That sounds nice. I guess I’ll see you after lunch, Sydney.” Maya says, turning to look at her friend.

“Sure thing. Be good, kiddo.”

Maya pokes her tongue out at Sydney. “I’m always good!”

Sydney just smiles and waves, heading for the cafeteria.

The elevator ride up to Meekah’s office is relatively fast, and Maya immediately begins to feel better once she’s in the soothing environment of Meekah’s office and away from the harsh lights, smells, and sounds of the lab.

“How are you really feeling, Maya? Sydney tells me it’s been a rough morning, and she says you snapped at her, which isn’t like you at all.”

“I thought you said I wasn’t in trouble!” Maya protests immediately. She’s never really been in trouble with Meekah before, and she has no idea what to expect if her Guardian is actually upset with her behavior.

“You’re not, Maya. I know all of these changes are hard on you, especially with trying to handle your responsibilities here on top of them. I just want to know how you’re feeling, so that we can tweak and adjust things if we need to. There’s no point in you stressing yourself out for no reason.” Meekah replies.

“It sure feels like I’m in trouble…” Maya grouses. “What’s this project you needed help with, anyway?”

“I’ll explain that in a little bit, but first it’s time for a snack and a nap sweetheart.”

“What? No...I don’t need a nap. I’m fine.” Maya insists, pouting almost by reflex, her eyes welling up with tears, her foot stomping of its own accord.

“Oh sweetheart,” Meekah’s voice is soft and gentle. “You’re so tired...It is definitely time for a nap. You’ve had a tough day and you need to rest and recharge for a little bit. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little break when you need it.” She pulls Maya into a hug.

“But I don’t want a nap…” Maya rests her head against Meekah’s chest, stumbling a bit as Meekah guides her into sitting and then finally laying down on the couch anyway.

It’s almost as comfortable as her bed.

“I know you don’t sweetheart. But, it’s not up for debate. You’re overwhelmed, irritable, and crankly, and it’s time to lay down for a few minutes. I want you to rest your eyes for at least 30 minutes, and if you can’t sleep, we’ll take a look at the project. Okay?” Meekah asks gently, brushing some stray hairs out of Maya’s face and gently easing the uncomfortable work shoes off her feet.

“’Kay…” Maya mumbles, suddenly exhausted.

She’s asleep before she even gets to hear Meekah’s response.

***

“It looks like you’re down about four inches and fifteen pounds since your first visit. All your vitals are in the normal range, so that’s good. Have you noticed anything changing for you lately, Maya? Any nighttime issues with bedwetting or daytime urgency problems? Any dizziness, tremors, new aches and pains, or trouble focusing?” Dr. Sol is asking.

“Yes.” Maya says simply and grudgingly. The lights are too bright, the constant-but-subtle ringing in her ears is driving her crazy, and her clothes feel especially stiff and scratchy today, even though she was fine yesterday. She’s simultaneously too hot and too cold.

Meekah rubs her back gently. “Maya. You know that Dr. Sol needs a little more information than that.” she admonishes calmly.

Maya just frowns. She doesn’t want to be here, dealing with these changes, and she’s certainly not excited for the admittedly-necessary shopping trip coming up after this. She’s lost enough height that her clothes don’t fit quite right anymore, but fortunately all the Little Supply stores and boutiques have a clothing exchange program, so it won’t cost a small fortune to keep her wardrobe updated.

She’s been irritable and annoyed all day for reasons she can’t quite explain, even after a nap. She’s achy and just generally not feeling well. She doesn’t have a fever, and as far as she can tell she’s not sick, but feeling so crummy isn’t doing anything to help her already-sour mood.

“Well you can tell her then.” Maya grouses, folding her arms. “I don’t even wanna be here.”

“I’m sorry, she’s not feeling very well today and she’s been a little grouchy.” Meekah explains.

“I am not!” Maya retorts angrily, bristling at Meekah’s explanation of her behavior. Everyone has off days sometimes…

“Maya. I understand that you don’t feel good, and I’m sorry about that. But the attitude and backtalk need to come down a few notches. Dr. Sol and I both want to help you feel better and do what we can to make life easier for you. But we can’t do that unless you talk to us and tell us what’s bothering you. Neither of us are mind readers. I can tell Dr. Sol what I’ve seen if you don’t want to talk, but I’m not going to put up with you yelling at me and being grouchy while I do that.” Meekah explains, her voice calm, but firm.

“Okay. Sorry.” Maya grumbles.

“Thank you sweetheart.” Meekah says easily, rubbing Maya’s back again before turning to Dr. Sol. “Yes, she’s been experiencing all of those things, and the body aches and trouble focusing seem to be particularly bad today. The nighttime issues have been happening every night, and I don’t think pull-ons will be up for the task too much longer if the wetting gets any heavier. Daytime has been better, but there are still some accidents when she’s absorbed in work or other activities. She’s been wearing pull-ons during the day and that seems to be helping, and most of the time she makes it through the day without issues. There haven’t been any messy accidents at all, although there have been some new sensitivities to food lately.” she explains.

 

“All of that sounds pretty textbook to me, although I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been dealing with all of that Maya, I’m sure that all of these changes aren’t very pleasant for you.” Dr. Sol replies. “At this point, I’d expect the shrinking to pick up pace over the next year or so, as we discussed at your first appointment. Today you’ll be getting your growth regulation treatment, just to make sure everything goes as smoothly and evenly as possible for you. Once you drop under 4’8” tall, you’ll need to ride in a booster seat, and then a car seat with a harness once you drop under 3’6” tall. It’s only required legally at that threshold, but you might find it advantageous to switch to the harness earlier if that works for you.” Dr. Sol explains.

“That’s good to know. Is there anything else we should be looking out for on the horizon?” Meekah wonders.

“As I said, the shrinking will accelerate, and you’ll probably notice a marked increase in daytime issues as well. Diapers will be necessary in the near future, although I can’t give you a specific timeline for that as everyone experiences Chrysalis a little bit differently.”

“Great.” Maya mutters. She knows it’s an inevitability, but that doesn’t make hearing it any easier.

 

“All in all, things are going as well as can be expected for such a big change. I’ll be right back with the growth regulation treatment. It’s an injection, just like the hormone regulation treatment was. You’ll probably be a bit drowsy for the rest of the day and you may have some soreness around the injection site, but that should go away by tomorrow.” Dr. Sol makes a few more notes on her tablet before standing. “Did you have any other questions before I step out?”

Maya just shakes her head.

“No, not right now. But I’ll be in touch if anything comes up.” Meekah responds pleasantly.

Maya sniffles. Hot tears are rolling down her cheeks without her permission. “I don’t even know why I’m crying…” she murmurs, rubbing at her eyes. “I feel so tired and awful and cranky...I know I’ve been a pain, but I don’t mean to. I’m sorry.”

“Maya.” Meekah’s voice is warm as she pulls Maya into a hug, rubbing her back gently. “You don’t need to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong. You’ve been dealing with a lot of changes, all of which come with things that are uncomfortable and stressful for you. I appreciate that you recognize that you’ve been a little grouchy, but that’s completely understandable given the circumstance. If you want, we can just go home after this and rest instead of shopping for new clothes. That can wait a day, and I think the last thing you need right now is a loud, chaotic place when you’re already not feeling good.”

“Yeah...I, um...I agree. Do you think Anna will make that Ìlanberry pie again, maybe? That was really good.” Maya admits hesitantly. She knows her parents would have said she’s undeserving of treats after having such a grouchy, rotten day, but Meekah has always been kind and understanding, so maybe things are different with her.
Meekah smiles warmly, and presses a kiss to Maya’s forehead. “I’m proud of you for asking, and I’ll ask Anna. You’re allowed to want things, Maya. The answer might not be ‘yes’ all the time, but please don’t ever be afraid to ask.”

Maya smiles back, feeling a comforting warmth in her chest. “Okay.”

Dr. Sol returns with an autoinjector and gently preps the injection site on Maya’s shoulder with an antiseptic wipe after rolling up her sleeve. “Just a little pinch and then we’re all done, okay?”

“Ouch!” Maya yelps, flinching away from the pain. “You said it would just be a little pinch!” Her voice is accusatory without her meaning to be.

“I’m sorry, Maya, that may just be the increased sensitivity that I was talking about before. I didn’t get the needle in far enough to administer the medication, so we’ll need to do this one more time. I’ll be quick about it, I promise.”

Maya grasps Meekah’s hand almost out of reflex, and Meekah immediately gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“On three, okay?” Dr. Sol asks.

“Okay…” Maya replies in a shaky voice. “One—ow! You said ‘on three!’”

“I did, but this way you didn’t have time to tense up first, that would have made it hurt a lot worse.”

“That wasn’t fair!” Maya answers, pouting. “And, it hurt!”

“I know it did, sweetheart, but it’s all done now, and we can go home. I’m sure you can even convince Anna to give you an extra slice of pie to help with the pain.” Meekah answers, gently rubbing the injection site after Dr. Sol applies a colorful bandage.
“Really?” Maya wonders, perking up; her pain temporarily forgotten.

“Yes really, sweetheart.”

“Well...it kinda hurts a lot…” Maya wheedles, smiling hopefully at Meekah.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Meekah replies with a chuckle. “Let’s get going. It’s been a long day, and I’m ready to go home too.”